Earth needs you!

The catastrophe in Paris might well serve as the poster event for what is happening to our climate. As Notre Dame burned, French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild it.

Unfortunately, as many have noted, there is no Planet B, there is no chance to "rebuild" our planet if we are unsuccessful in drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions in short order to avoid an unrecoverable tipping point.

If you think this is too over the top, please read The End of Ice by Dahr Jamail or The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. Time is ticking. We are way past changing a couple of light bulbs.

George Monbiot's recent article in the Guardian lays it on the line. He says, "Only rebellion will prevent an ecological catastrophe."

When the problem is so huge and overwhelming, it's hard not to just throw up your hands and give in to the inevitable. Tell that to Greta Thunberg.

So what CAN we do?

On Thursday, April 18, the Sustainable La Crosse Commission will host a public program on clean energy planning in La Crosse including future plans to go all in on clean renewable energy. Your participation is needed to show support for this initiative and help carry it forward. Please come to the meeting - this Thursday at 5:30 pm in the County Administrative Building, 6th & State to learn about the plans and how you can help.

Already more than 100 cities, including Chicago, and four whole states have committed to moving totally off of fossil fuels by 2050 or sooner. If you live in La Crosse, sign the petition. If you don't, start the process to get your community to commit to 100% clean energy as quickly as possible.

The Coulee Region Sierra Club will have more info at its Earth Fair booth at Myrick Park on April 28 and host a Green New Deal event in May.

On Thursday, April 25 at 4:30 pm, Rep Ron Kind will speak with Green New Deal supporters on the UWL campus. [UPDATE: Location - Room 3214 Centennial Hall, UWL]The US must become a leader in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

These are the types and scopes of changes we need to push for right now. We can make our own personal changes, but we must also work very hard to make those changes at the city, county, state, and national levels. This is more important than basketball championships, cancer fundraisers, or anything else you can think of. This is MOST important. In the words of a dear PA diner patron interviewed on a FOX television program, "Ultimately, the other issues are all solvable. But if the planet starts catching on fire and we’re all dead, it doesn’t do us any good to see how much money we can make.”