We’re devastated. In addition to his many other profound failings as a human being, Donald Trump is a nightmare for the climate. But while we may need time to catch our breath and grieve as we adjust to this new reality, we should also keep in mind what’s good — because it’s very, very good:
- The people of Washington voted to raise the minimum wage and mandate paid sick leave — matters of utmost, daily importance to low-wage workers.
- Bill “Welcome, Shell!” Bryant lost to Jay Inslee by a mile. So we still have a governor who understands climate, and whom we can push to be the visionary he sometimes sounds like.
- The conversation around I-732 means that we can start to work for the unifying, inspiring carbon pricing that we really need. Actions at the state level count more than ever now.
Our work is cut out for us.
So if like some of us you find your “shoulders falling down like teardrops, weakened by [your] soulful cries,” well… we completely understand. But now we’ll have to work twice as hard, and be twice as inspiring, to make real progress on climate. Maya Angelou was no stranger to profound adversity, but not long after those lines, she added, “just like life, I rise.” We can do no less. So in a day or three, that’s exactly what we’ll do. (We might also suggest, in the spirit of our era, not “oil wells pumping in my living room” but “wind turbines above my living room”.)
Want to get more involved in 350 Seattle? Let us know here.
However you choose to do it, catch your breath, then take a deep one and jump back into the most important fight humanity has ever faced.
