I really enjoyed this article about a former climate reporter who has taken matters into his own hands. He might not be on the front lines, shutting down oil pipelines or burning down fossil fuel infrastructure, but Nate Johnson has found another way to contribute: he became an electrician.
It may sound like a stretch, but Nate is a rare specimen who chose to pivot his career path in his 40’s to do something that he felt was more impactful to the cause he cares about. Now instead of talking about the need to electrify things, Johnson just goes out and does the work.
“Now, the great challenge of our time is climate change. And so it really feels like I need to be putting my shoulder to pushing that boulder in some practical way. And being an electrician feels like a useful way to enlist in pushing that problem in the right direction. It’s not making a huge difference, but it is making a difference. And it’s a difference that I can see and measure every day. And that’s just incredibly satisfying.”
May we all find useful ways to fight the growing challenges our society faces. Whether it’s educating folks on forest fire prevention by becoming a park ranger or fighting corrupt policing by donning a mask and cape and fighting the criminal element, there’s no shortage of work to be done.
Side Items
Idiotic Mississippi Police: Nakala Murry asked her 11-year old son to call the police at about 4am this past Saturday when the father of one of her children showed up at her home. The man was allegedly irate and Ms. Murry felt threatened, so she did what we’re told to do in situations like this; call the authorities. Little did she know that the Mississippi pig that showed up would shoot and wound her unarmed child in their own home. The child, Aderrien Murry, was hospitalized for five days due to a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and fractured ribs after an Indianola police department officer shot him in the chest while responding to the call
Runs in the Family: This opinion piece in The Hill carries the unique distinction of being well-written, addressing the worsening climate crisis, AND being written by my one and only big sister! The article makes a strong argument for individual states responding to emerging climate threats and holding the companies responsible for climate destruction accountable. In her words, “State courts are positioned to fill a regulatory gap created by the absence of a domestic emissions policy, the erosion of the regulatory state after the Supreme Court’s recent decision in West Virginia v. EPA, and by the elusiveness of an economy-wide carbon tax. That’s right folks, we can read AND write persuasively. It’s over for y’all
Bedouins to Tour Guides: This article highlights the changes that are taking place in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert, as Bedouin families deal with the worsening climate disaster. Many of the Bedouins in the southern part of the country have had to develop the area as a tourist site instead of focusing their energies on herding animals or hunting. The growing climate crisis will undoubtedly touch all of our lives in distinctly unique ways