Letter From the Editor

 

Dear readers,

 

I am writing to you today not as an optimist, a cynic, or an idealist. I am not an accredited professor, a prize winner, or a scientist. I am a common individual with common thoughts living a common life nurtured by unconditional love from my family, and by the favorable circumstances I was born into that helped shape my story.

 

WHY Magazine is my attempt to share with the world some perspectives on what I perceive as the most exciting theme of the 21st century: global warming and its multidimensional intricacies. Climate change is not the future; it is a direct consequence of our past onto the present. Adapting to it is not a challenge; it is an opportunity for a long overdue revamp and upgrade of the societal foundations of our world. Though I do not advocate for a universal blueprint for transformation, as each community, city, and country holds its own identity, strengths, and limitations, the fabric of society needs to adapt to today's demands.

 

Our Planet has been evolving for billions of years, from the formation of Earth’s crust, through the times of the Dinosaurs to today’s Holocene. We saw homo erectus lit our world’s first fire, the Mesopotamians invent wheels, and modern-day scientists explore the possibility of a multi-planetary species. The reality is that our economies, similarly to our electricity grid that feeds our dependence on electronic devices, have remained somewhat unchanged since the post-WWII years when Europe was (literally) reconstructing bombed continents. Today, wartime is over (except naturally in Ukraine, Syria, and Somalia, to name a few) but change is slow.

 

There is no roadmap, no guidebook, and no cheat sheet on how to act to adapt to climate change. National governments issued net zero targets, cities are taking the lead, the private sector is flirting with the idea of ‘going green,’ and individuals are somewhat changing their lifestyle choices. What we need is a right-now plan. Pointing out and addressing our challenges from all angles and perspectives, such as leaving no stone unturned, is part of the right now plan. Starting these conversations helps connect with policymakers and corporate leaders who have a major impact on consumer behavior. It is crucial that action is taken to address climate change at a faster pace.

 

In our filtered world, where nothing is what it seems, where communication is used as a weapon to target and influence public opinion, and where the right to own a firearm is more important than the right to own our data, we need to think ten steps ahead. Only then can we enforce effective solutions for humanity and the environment in which it is hosted.

 

Call it naïveté, blind faith, or innocent arrogance, but my mission for you, fellow readers, is to deliver some perspectives on contemporary themes with a touch of humor, a pinch of brutality, and a promise always to poke the elephant in the room. Let’s make Joan of Arc proud; though we most likely won’t be graced by the same divine guidance she was as whoever is up there gave up on us a long time ago, we can collectively lead the world in a momentous victory against climate change, the foe we provoked.

 

If we can’t defeat it, we can at least adapt to its moods. Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer. Let's make global warming our best friend. Let’s ask how it's feeling, what its dreams and aspirations are, treat it to gluten-full buttery cookies and fine wine, and make sure we pull the rug right out from under it. Humanity has adapted for thousands of years. Earth has survived for billions of years; with or without us, she’ll do just fine.      

 

Barbara Marty Majorano