Taking Responsibility for a Livable Planet

In the summer of 2011 when I was pregnant with my son, the thoughts that kept me up at night were what kind of living conditions my son would encounter here on earth during his lifetime.



This may sound like a far-fetched concern, but it boils down to simple questions. Will he be able to drink water from the tap? Will he live to see the great glaciers on the mountains where I grew up? Will he have the chance to snorkel at a coral reef? Will the earth and its ecosystems still support wild salmon, polar bears, bees and other animals that we have taken for granted?

A key year for policymakers, scientists and others engaged in finding climate solutions by 2050. That is the year by which the earth will have warmed by at least two degrees Celcius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), according to conservative estimates, if dramatic measures are not taken to reverse human-caused trends. This two degrees Celcius figure translates to a loss of coral reefs, glaciers and other ecosystems, a loss of polar bears and other species, and the destruction of cities and towns at sea level, among other severe effects.

For my son 2050 is the year he will be my age. By that time he will be facing the consequences of our decisions today. He will likely wonder what I did—what we all did—to help prevent the severe effects we know are coming in the absence of change. What conveniences did we let go? What innovations did we implement? What steps did we take to protect ecosystems?

Sustainable C is back to study and explore climate solutions that I—that we all—can live by. It is my attempt to develop answers. It is my attempt to take responsibility. It is my attempt to anticipate when my son is my age, and he asks me what I did to help.