What The World Needs Now by Barbara Quinn

I’m grateful for this earth we live on. Every breath we take, every vista we view, is part of an amazingly complex system. I’m glad that more and more people are starting to realize how fragile this system is. When I saw a video of polar bears drowning in the Arctic due to too much of their habitat melting, I couldn’t take my eyes from the screen. It was horrifying. From where I sit, it seems that in one generation global warming has accelerated at a far more rapid pace than anyone ever imagined.

I’m grateful to have seen the shift toward acceptance of the fact that we do have a global warming problem. We have a problem, and we are capable of figuring out solutions to ensure the lives of future generations. Willie Nelson’s biodiesel (called BioWillie) is finally gaining some attention. There are hybrid cars, solar power, wave action, and wind power. Hydrogen fuel cells are starting to appear. We have a long way to go, but there’s no reason to believe that we can’t succeed. Hey, I don’t want my car to smell like French-fry oil, but I’ll accept that if that’s what it takes. Buy stock in that Little Tree car air-freshener company!

I’m also grateful that we have a dialog with China. Without China adopting some environmental rules, this mission to save the planet cannot succeed.

Here’s to the great science minds. You are what the world needs now. May your solutions spread throughout the world as quickly as you can think them up.