By Jeff Dorian, Citizens’ Climate Lobby
As a baby boomer, I like to think my generation acted as a lighthouse of sorts in a troubled world. Surprisingly, I now see us criticized for betraying America.
A 2017 book, “A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America,” portrays a generation whose self-indulgence degraded the future of the country. We presided over the death of our manufacturing core, brushed aside climate change, endangered Social Security and essentially bankrupted the nation with debt, all while ensuring we enjoyed the kind of life we wanted.
True or not, it does strike a nerve. In part due to our numbers, government policy catered to us with benefits like Medicare, tax-free inheritance policy and individual retirement accounts. Problems involving the economy, immigration, health care and crime never seem to be fixed.
What about our planet’s rising temperature? Can it be ignored for the next generation to deal with? My generation polluted the air with carbon dioxide and other gasses that act like a blanket, keeping in heat. The world has been warming, polar ice caps are melting and sea levels are rising.
Seeing high tides regularly flood the streets over the sidewalks of South Beach while visiting in 2016 was my wake-up call. It didn’t happen when I lived and worked in Miami 40 years ago and it’s guaranteed to continue its gradual rise.
I agree we’ve made a mess and am troubled about the world we are leaving to our children. It’s past time to begin to build a stable future for the next generations. Is there a way for us boomers to redeem ourselves? Are there sensible and economically feasible solutions at hand to clean our air and slow the warming climate?
Consider the financial opportunity provided by decarbonization. Clean technology plays a critical role in meeting rising energy demand. Countries worldwide are deploying solar and wind power, driven by falling costs and the potential for faster, cheaper industrialization compared to traditional fossil fuel-based development.
Can we help balance the country’s budget by producing more fossil fuels? How is this working so far? Forecasts for fossil fuel stocks suggest a challenging environment marked by oil price volatility and general downward pressure on prices due to a global surplus of supply that is outpacing growth in demand.
Could the surplus be related to the worldwide accelerating use of renewable energy? The European Union and numerous nations are surging ahead. China notably registered a decline in greenhouse gas output last year with the amount of wind and solar under construction, double the rest of the world combined.
It’s feasible to revitalize our economy based on affordable clean energy with an “all of the above” rollout of energy sources. We can accompany the world’s countries on a path to prosperity with purpose, hard work and innovation.
American workers have done it before and can do it again. With luck, and political will, my daughter and your children can share the irreplaceable experiences that Florida offers, from snorkeling reefs in the Florida Keys to fishing in the Everglades.
There are many different avenues that we can take to support efforts for preservation. It’s not too late to redeem ourselves to our children. We can volunteer, we can donate, and we can educate ourselves and others. We can spread the word, like I am doing, in hopes that my members of Congress, Rep. Maxwell Frost and Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, may read this and feel inspired to take action as well.
Jeff Dorian is co-leader of the Orlando chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Banner photo: Signs at a youth climate protest (iStock image).
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