Jump the Chasm: Are You an EcoDaredevil?
By Wallace J. Nichols
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Tuesday 22 April 2008
In the 1970s, I idolized Evel Knievel. He was rock star, sports hero and folk
legend in one. His death-defying jumps inspired me to launch my bicycle over
puddles and many a hapless friend.
Now, I find new inspiration in my childhood hero. In 1961, before he became
"Evel," Robert Craig Knievel hitchhiked with the rack of a bull elk
from Montana to our nation's capital to protest the culling of elk in Yellowstone.
The Kennedy administration responded and countless elk were saved.
Today, we face more serious crises - loss of biodiversity, a warming planet,
collapsing fisheries, looming food and water shortages, and pollution in every
corner of the globe. Scientists forecast a "2050 Scenario" in which
Earth is hotter, dirtier and overcrowded with nine billion people who are left
to wage wars for what little remains.
Jumping this chasm will be the greatest challenge we have ever faced. It will
require revolutionary changes in society and technology. To succeed, we must
be brave, creative and outspoken. We must undertake the audacious, the impossible
and the dangerous. We must risk our financial, social and physical comfort.
In other words, we must become EcoDaredevils.
Everywhere I go, I meet EcoDaredevils. They are debating, creating, evolving
- yes, sometimes crashing - but always, always coming back for more. Two Texas
women cleaning a beach and inspiring Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal
Cleanup that is now half-a-million strong. Sir Richard Branson greening aviation.
Feliciano dos Santos campaigning with music for clean water in Africa. Architect
Renzo Piano turning a massive roof into a meadow with solar panels. WaterKeeper
Julio Solis drag racing in Mexico to raise awareness of our ocean crisis.
Changing light bulbs, inflating tires and toting reusable bags are all important
gestures. But it's going to take action far more thrilling to make it over this
canyon. Still, must do something for the planet - something that invites personal
risk.
They say that Evel Knievel broke every bone in his body at one time or another.
But, he kept on jumping. His steely will enthralled me as an eight-year-old.
It still does today.
So, it's Earth Day 2008. Look deep inside. Grab hold of your inner EcoDaredevil.
Strap on a helmet, some red-white-and-blue leathers, and let's go for a ride.
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols is a senior scientist at Ocean Conservancy
and a research associate at California Academy of Sciences.
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Editor's Note: It's important to get out of our comfort
zones as we tackle the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. But taking a
leap is not just about blind risk-taking; after all, even Evel needed a place
to land. In our case - which is the planet's case - the place we are aiming
for is to reduce the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
from 380 parts per million to 350 ppm.
This is different from what you heard last year. Last year, scientists thought
that 450 ppm might be a safe level for keeping the planet habitable. But the
ice is melting faster than anyone expected, and the consequences of an even
slightly warmer world are looking more severe. So - the chasm just got a little
wider, which is why we need to fire up our inner daredevil and go for it.
Environmental writer Bill McKibben is helping to launch the campaign for a
350 ppm target. He has all kinds of wild and crazy actions you can take to rev
up this reality. Check it out at www.350.org. Just don't be disappointed if
you end up on a bicycle instead of a motorcycle!
- Kelpie Wilson, Truthout Environment Editor
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