The time is now

It is hard not to be deeply affected by the findings of the latest IPCC Report on climate change. As feared the effects of climate change are accelerating and our window of time to respond is minimal. The floods and fires of this year are only a glimpse of what’s to become the new normal. Have we humans already destroyed the very foundation of our own livelihood on Spaceship Earth and is the future inevitable? Should we accept this as an undeniable fact and give up hope? Or can we realize this Apollo 13 moment, get all hands on deck and realize that failure is not an option?

While disfunctional political systems, increasingly divided and disoriented societies and sheer human inertia might make it seem unlikely, there is still a clear way forward in which we implement radical systemic change and bring us back in line, not only with GHG emissions and temperature predictions, but all planetary boundaries.  Project drawdown helps us by listing GHG sources and sinks clearly and points to the most meaningful areas of impact. Similarly, RethinkX climate report demostrates that combating climate change is not only doable, it is possible in a much shorter timeframe due to disruption across all sectors of industry and, for all the doubters, is even profitable.

So what can we do as crew members of our spaceship? Here is my list of applied hope:
- become (even more) vocal about the urgency of this decade of delivery. Inform everybody actively and get involved.  Otherwise there will be nothing tot alk about anymore.
- demand of your elected government to implement the most dramatic climate action imaginable. In Germany, you have the choice in September, continuing "as always" is not going to be enough. See what your country is currently doing on the climate action tracker and support initiatives for change such as German zero).
- demand a strong climate plan from any partner you do business with. You have a choice, as consumer and as business leader, on who you engage with. This makes a difference, too.
- as an investor, allocate all possible capital towards this goal asap! Find climate impact VC funds (such as Extantia or others), climate-positive public stocks and public equity funds, meaningful startups (such as betteries and many others) or even real things such as solar or wind parks to invest in. Catalyze the change now to see impact in time.
- stay positive and active. If we get paralyzed by the increasing evidence of our situation, nothing is gained. Keep doing the next right thing.

We still have a choice. In a while we might have to watch the change unfold and witness the most dramatic alteration of our very civilization. Earth doesn’t need us, we need our planet. But there is still time. Let’s help our planet to support us!