I’ve been hesitant to post this week as I wanted to gather my thoughts and ensure they conveyed an optimistic message. However, I feel compelled to reach out to my community of sustainability professionals because I’m feeling a sense of sadness.
I’ve been following your incredible #ClimateWeekNYC round-ups, and it sounds like last week was an amazing, exhausting, and exhilarating week where we collectively advanced discussions around #climatechange and its urgent impacts.
What saddens me is not my own FOMO for not attending, but that amidst all the inspiring experiences shared by fellow leaders, I haven’t seen anyone connect those experiences to the impacts of #HurricaneHelene that immediately followed.
I haven’t seen images or stories that illustrate how on the heels of what is being deemed our ‘best Climate Week yet” that the real-life impacts of #climate change and how it just devastated millions of American people across 6+ states - in the same week.
I haven’t seen the conversations that showcase the real-life health affects and trauma that this ‘extreme weather event’ and all other events due to Climate Change is causing to our own citizens. (However, a special shoutout to Whitney Dailey and @Allison for their fantastic conversation on this topic last week—it was a highlight of my 'virtual' Climate Week! And who knew just how timely it could have been.)
Living in Florida, we just witnessed the historic storm surge that flooded Tampa Bay and devastated coastal communities…. Again.
In Georgia, over 350,000 people are still without power.
In South Carolina, more than 500,000 are affected; schools have been canceled, cell service is unreliable, and food and gas are scarce. The historic flooding has caused unprecedented damage, and I can personally attest to the chaos as I was there this past weekend—no one anticipated this storm's severity & no one could predict that a hurricane could reach Appalachia.
In North Carolina, my heart breaks for #Asheville, a place I love. The damage there is unimaginable. Asheville is without water, and it may not return for months. Communities like Black Mountian, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock and Linville Falls will never be the same. The town of Chimney Rock was totally washed away and its remains are literally in Lake Lure. I do not know how on earth they will ever clean this up. Boone and other mountain towns are flooded with roads in-and-out cut off. Many businesses are already closing their doors indefinitely.
In East Tennessee, where I started my family and career, I’m grateful that the dams have held, but there are still stranded communities due to washed-out roads and bridges. Families remain unaccounted for, and schools are closed.
As professionals who care about the environmental and social impacts of climate change, I urge you to use these “events” as a case study of what is happening “RIGHT NOW!”
Please comment and share. We can’t afford to wait.
#TimeIsUp #ClimateAction #ClimateJustice
