Letter to the Editor: All Must Participate in Reversing Climate Change

Many, many thanks to Solomon Lindenberg for his column discussing Greta Thunberg (“Greta Thunberg Isn’t Just an Activist – She’s a Role Model,” Jan. 17, 2020). His ardent defense of Thunberg’s importance in climate advocacy and his own clear grasp of the climate crisis that is upon us are valuable contributions to our public conversation.

Lindenberg points out that Thunberg has become one of the leading voices demanding climate action, and she does so with a passion and effectiveness that few others muster.

It makes sense that young people are fighting tirelessly for action to reduce and mitigate global warming. They’re the ones who are staring into a bleak future.

But as a boomer, I need to be in this fight, too. Though I might not confront the worst horrors of a much hotter world, I need to claim my own personal responsibility for this crisis. I need to acknowledge that I have been complicit by virtue of my own comfortable – one might say heedless – lifestyle. I need to work for climate solutions on behalf of my grandchildren and all who come after us. And as a Christian, I need to accept my role in the stewardship of creation. 

There are many, many ways we can work for climate solutions. And we must. It is unjust and immoral to slough off our responsibility and leave the crisis to young people, who have had little or no part in creating it.

Betsy Rogers

Sister Bay, Wisconsin