The gap

Alto Fragua Indi Wasi National Park, Caquetá, Colombia.

It's been almost 50 years since that 22nd of April 0f 1950, when 20 million Americans walked U.S. streets to show their discomfort with the way in which our planet was being managed. 'Earth Day' was born, and since then, every April 22 millions of people speak up to exhibit their thoughts on the current environmental issues. It's great to see Dr. Jane Goodall in today's Google Doodle!

But environmental manifestations tend to have a tragic tone. Planet Earth is being devastated in many ways. Plastic contamination in the oceans, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, dramatic rates of land clearing in the tropics, fracking, oil spills, nuclear and e-waste... the list can go on and on until severe depression. And then we end up with that feeling of uselessness, thinking that there is nothing we can do, that the world is doomed. We even think of walking down the street and buying some comfort food to forget all the madness; it's almost like being heartbroken. That's the catch.

And you must not bite the hook. It's easy to think that there are several billionaire bastards -drinking cognac and smoking cigars- which main job is to keep factories burning, drills going, and jets moving in order to pump up planetary heat. It's easy to think that they've talked presidents and prime ministers into their dirty business. And it's even easier thinking that they have you under control because they talk to you through advertisement and news with the help of your laptop, your TV, your iPhone, and your radio. But that's just wishful thinking; it's lazy and it's bullshit.

The one and only reason that we've got into this environmental mess is because we love to consume. And consuming has solved many issues that made people's lives miserable only a couple of tens of years ago; moderate consumerism introduced progress. Humanity solved many of its most dramatic issues by developing marketable goods and services -like health, education, food, infrastructure, and technology. But somewhere along the track of development, we lost our path and started pigging ourselves with everything available; we forgot a subtlety: stuff is finite.

This graph, based on the comparison of atmoepherico samples contained in ice cores and more recent direct measurements, provides evidence that atmospheric CO2 has increased since the Industrial Revolution. (Credit: Vostok ice core data/J.R. Petit et al.; NOAA Mauna Loa CO2 record.) NASA: Global Climate Change- Vital Signs of the Planet

So, blaming Mr. Trump for not believing in climate change is a shortcut towards accelerated failure. We need to break free of the idea that stopping climate change (or at least slowing it down) is a task for those in charge. Flesh and blood citizens need to face environmental issues and act -not because politics say so (or not), but despite them. After all, they don't own the place.

There's a gap, between us and the governments that represent our countries.

Most countries around the world committed (Paris Agreement) to cut -at least marginally- their greenhouse gas emissions. And many of us celebrate this. But how are we -citizens- contributing? Are we, again, assuming that the charming and elegant world leaders must devise a sophisticated plan and execute it to achieve environmental goals? This is the gap: those countries that signed the Paris Agreement are nothing more than the sum of you, and your neighbour, and your boss, and the teacher, and the soldier, and the farmer. And we all contribute (to the problem or the solution -your choice).

Modern world consumerism is rude; and defying it, tough. But not impossible. We need to understand how we are consuming and the best way of doing that is to quantify it. I´ll stick to Carbon Footprint today but beware, there's a fantastic index that measures your complete Ecological Footprint. Everyone on this planet is entitled to a sustainable quantity of around two metric tonnes of Carbon a year (MtCO2e/y) (Note that when I say sustainable I mean limiting global warming to 2ºC above pre-industrial levels!).

The average American emits 15.53 (MtCO2e/y), an Australian 15.83, a Chinese 6.59, while an Indian citizen only about 1.58. But you are not an average. You can control your life and control your emissions, you can consume responsibly and commit to a sensible future. And you must close the gap. It's time to up our game as citizens and act. We can't wait anymore for others to solve a problem that will determine the future of everyone. Nobody will manufacture stuff that people are not willing to consume, so your behaviour will shape our future.

I've made this CO2 footprint calculator available for you to use. This is a great tool to understand the dimensions of our habits and to change those that jeopardize our future. There are many different calculators, some tailored to specific locations or more detailed in one or another aspect. It doesn't really matter which one you chose; what matters is your commitment. Happy 2018 Earth Day.