Letter to the Editor: ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ to Tackle Climate Change

People love talking about the weather. When I was a child in the ’60s, snow arrived in November and stayed on the ground until spring. In summer, gentle rains fell on our garden, and temperatures were moderate. Today, Wisconsin weather feels extreme. Weather patterns are no longer predictable, which affects recreation, agriculture, business and biodiversity.

Our fast-paced, technological lifestyle creates distance from the natural world supporting us. We assume food will be at the grocery store, that clean water will flow from our pipes, that storm damage will not uproot our lives. Yet climate change disrupts a delicate environmental balance, which in turn disrupts an economic system that requires stability to run efficiently. We’ve experienced what instability does to the economy with the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term impacts of not addressing climate change will be even more challenging.

The 2021 assessment report from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts highlights what I’ve experienced during the past 50 years. Significant warming and extreme weather events continue to increase, degrading air, water and land with downstream impacts on people, our economy and nature.

I’ve learned that too much data about climate change leads to denial or despair, not action. If the number of climate-anxiety articles I’m reading is any indication, countless people are extremely concerned about the future of humanity, yet paralyzed to act.

What does one do when it comes to addressing the overwhelming complexities of climate change? It starts by paying attention to what’s happening in our own backyards. Find the courage to share our stories of what we love about Wisconsin, the hardships we’ve experienced as well as our vision for the future. 

We can choose to let go of arguments and denial. We can choose to care. We can choose to focus on solutions. We can choose to bring our skill set and interests to the table to tackle this challenge.

“Think globally, act locally” has tremendous relevance as millions of people unite around a common cause. As a volunteer with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, I invite you to join us in creating a better world. Start by sharing your story.

Mary Radue

De Pere, Wisconsin