Reaction: Before the Flood

Watching Before the Flood was nothing short of striking. DiCaprio and the filmmakers were able to not only explain why climate change is such a serious threat to our planet, but they also explained why it is such a challenging problem to solve and why it has been hard to make progress thus far. There were a few points from Before the Flood that I found especially surprising. For example, I had no clue that cattle were such a significant part of the equation when it comes to climate change. With Fort Worth being one of the most historically significant cities in the world when it comes to cattle production, I am extremely used to seeing all things cattle. 

This past Friday I was able to get out and go golfing. It was pretty windy, but other than that, a lovely day to spend outside. Thankfully, I was able to convince my buddies to forego the carts and we walked the course instead. A few holes in, I hit an errant shot to the right that ended up going past a small fence. I considered hopping over to grab my ball, but as a walked up, I saw there were cattle grazing in the field. 

I think this connects closely to one of the central questions that is hindering progress on climate change; are we willing to sacrifice some short-term economic prosperity and comfortable daily habits in order to tackle a large problem that at times can seem a bit abstract. Cattle represent a significant contributor to Fort Worth’s economy and culture, but science has shown that the methane they produce is accelerating the greenhouse effect. Will Texans be willing to sacrifice the money they make from cattle and the steak they eat? So far the answer is no in Fort Worth, and largely no to similar questions throughout the rest of the world.

However, these questions in the world at large revolve around energy, and fossil fuels continue to be the chief source of energy for essentially every country in the world. Unfortunately, I think significant progress on climate change may be impossible until we can make clean energy as economically attractive as these fossil fuels. Maybe I’m a pessimist, but asking humans across the globe to make real sacrifices in order to tackle a threat that is not so easily perceived in our daily lives does not seem like the way we are going to fix climate change. I think we need to start with regulation and with innovations in energy. God knows if we can do that before it’s too late.