Earthly Compassion: A Call to Action

I created this piece in response to the devastating flooding in Nepal. As I worked, I found myself thinking about the many other environmental disasters unfolding around the world—the fires in Canada, Spain, Colorado, Texas, and elsewhere; the brutal heat; the floods, droughts, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other catastrophic events affecting people, animals, and ecosystems across the planet.

The causes of individual disasters can be complex, but scientists have warned us for decades that a warming planet will intensify many extreme weather events and increase the risks of melting glaciers, rising seas, water shortages, food insecurity, disease, displacement, and species extinction.

The Paris Climate Agreement established an international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Yet the world has already experienced periods above that threshold, and without far more ambitious action, temperatures will continue to rise.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, humanity is moving dangerously close to—or beyond—the limits intended to help us avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. Some effects can no longer be prevented. We must now reduce emissions as quickly as possible while also learning how to protect communities in a warmer and increasingly unstable world.

This period has been described as one of “coping and containment.” It is an unsettling phrase because it acknowledges that climate change is no longer simply a future threat. It is already here.

During an extended period of warming, more people will become sick or lose their lives because of extreme heat and weather-related disasters. Food production may decline. Hunger and water shortages may increase. Economies will suffer, and irreplaceable ecosystems—including coral reefs, rainforests, glaciers, and polar ice sheets—could be permanently altered or lost.

The effects will not occur in isolation. Every living thing is part of an interconnected system. When water becomes scarce, crops fail. When habitats disappear, species vanish. When storms and floods destroy communities, the consequences can continue for generations.

Wars have been fought over resources such as water, land, food, minerals, and energy, and as these resources become increasingly scarce, conflicts will continue to be fought over them. Climate change can intensify existing tensions, deepen inequality, and force people to compete for the necessities of survival.

The question is: Can we still unite to protect our planet?

How do we inspire people to support environmental organizations, contact their representatives, march, vote, speak out, and demand meaningful action from governments and corporations? Are we too overwhelmed? Have we become apathetic? Or do we simply not know where to begin?

I believe every action matters.

We can support organizations working to protect the environment and assist communities affected by disasters. We can reduce waste, conserve energy and water, vote for leaders who respect climate science, and insist that governments and industries reduce harmful emissions. We can challenge destructive policies through peaceful protest, public advocacy, and the courts. Most importantly, we can refuse to remain silent.

Greta Thunberg and other young climate activists have shown us what courage and persistence can accomplish. Young people around the world have organized movements, confronted leaders, and even taken their governments to court for failing to protect their futures. Their example reminds us that one voice can encourage another—and thousands of individual voices can become a movement.

We do not all have to become internationally recognized activists. We simply need to become active.

My concern for our planet occasionally emerges in my artwork. This piece is an expression of grief for what has already been lost, compassion for those who are suffering, and hope for what we may still be able to protect.

It is also a call to action—for myself and for others.

Mother Earth cannot speak in a courtroom, vote in an election, or march through the streets. We must do those things for her. Even the smallest action is a declaration that this beautiful, fragile, shared planet is worth saving.