At San Diego Comic-Con this past July, I noticed an indie booth with two covers by one of my favorite artists: Mark Schultz.
(He’s also one of my favorite writers, and I read his Prince Valiant every Sunday, where art is provided by the phenomenal Thomas Yeates.)
I was fascinated and wandered up to this curious booth. And it was there I started to learn about the term Climate Optimism.
Here’s how the booth’s owners described this concept on their site:
What Climate Optimism Actually Means
Climate optimism contradicts both doom-paralysis and naive positivity: it is specifically optimism anchored to known solutions and ongoing action, not a belief that outcomes will simply work out. As Anne Therese Gennari writes: “Climate optimism is not about taking a step back and hoping for the best to happen. It’s about meeting these times with an unwavering curiosity for change and choosing a path of resilience, action, and hope!”
Climate optimism is:
• A belief the outcome is still possible
• Grounded in measurable results
• Paired with Urgency
• A Reason to Act
Climate optimism is NOT:
• A belief that everything turns out fine
• Grounded in mood
• A Reason to Relax
• A Reason to Wait
Still with me? Sounds like a smart approach, doesn’t it? Continue reading “With Further Ado #414: Supercharged with Climate Optimism”
When it comes to wildfires, we here in the States tend to think of California… as well we should, particularly right now. This year’s deadly conflagrations have spread to Oregon and Washington State. Or, as President Tang says, “those antifa anarchist states.” Wildfires have done a world of harm to Australia as well. And, now, Russia.
According to the World Wildlife Fund’s Arctic Program Director Peter Winsor, a zombie fire is one that starts in the permafrost layer. Those things consist of frozen soil, silt, gravel, frozen plants and animals and sand bound together by frozen water. Such layers can be hundreds of meters thick – or, in midtown Manhattan terms, about two blocks thick, which is deeper than many Broadway potholes. A good place to find permafrost is in the arctic circle, where its less likely to break down due to lower warming conditions. Those last two words are known in the writing racket as “foreshadowing.” 
I’m going to try to do something different this week. I’m going to see if I can make it through this episode of Weird Scenes without once mentioning President Tang. Place your bets, folks.
But… what happens the day after that? We won’t be out of the woods… except, maybe, literally. How do we keep our planet safe? Where else are we going to live?