Climate Change

You’ve likely heard a lot lately about the Paris climate talks that wrapped up a few weeks ago, and you’ve likely been left wondering what it’s all about. The follow up from Paris has seen lots of high talk from government officials and lots of complicated jargon, but little plain-English explanations of what the agreement actually says and what it means.

So in case you’ve been wondering what this whole Paris Agreement is all about, here are five things you need to know:

One Inuit leader said "we are human barometers of climate change."

At the opening session of COP21, President Áder of Hungary shared a conversation he had with his unborn grandchild in a dream. The dream was haunting; his grandchild repeatedly asked him why he did not take action on climate change despite overwhelming evidence from scientists.

While I was a student at Calvin College, one of the things I both enjoyed and struggled with was learning about different issues that related to international development. I loved being exposed to and being able to do meaningful research about issues such as global health, good partnerships, and environmental sustainability. However, what also made this one of the hardest parts of my academic time at Calvin was the recurring question: “What can I do about these issues?”

Desmond Tutu is certainly no stranger to the pursuit of justice.

The South African Anglican Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Laureate was in Canada in early June at the invitation of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

Best known for his part in the anti-apartheid struggle in his native South Africa, Tutu referred to climate change as “the moral struggle that will define this time.” "The oilsands,” he said, “are emblematic of an era of high carbon and high-risk fuels that must end if we are committed to a safer climate."

I have decided to fast on the first day of every month in solidarity with vulnerable people who are going hungry as the impacts of climate change worsen. I’m joining this global action as a way to prepare myself for — and participate in — the necessary changes that a more hospitable and just planetary existence demands.