Humans can’t solve climate change. Humans can’t make things fly. Humans can’t make towers that reach the sky. Humans can’t go to space. Humans can’t walk on the moon. Humans can’t make pictures move.

What similarities do the statements above have? Humanity thought these things were impossible at one point but eventually found and innovated a way to make it possible. 

Once upon a time, no one even thought of making pictures move. It was impossible until Louis Le Prince made a 2.11-second motion picture film called Roundhay Garden scene that kickstarted cinema as we know it. In the same way, it was impossible to walk on the moon until Neil Armstrong did it on July 21, 1969. 

In London, climate change mass protests led by the Extinction Rebellion movement have surfaced. The series of protests that began on April 9 has resulted in 213 arrests so far. In Los Angeles, USA, a NASA Scientist, Peter Kalmus, went viral after his tearful protest on the climate crisis. Kalmus is among the group of scientists that were arrested after chaining themselves to a JPMorgan Chase building to stand against the bank’s financing of fossil fuels. Protests have also ensued in other countries such as Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Colombia, Malawi, Germany, and Italy. 

Climate change is the greatest threat to humanity right now. It does not only threaten one country or one sector of our society. It threatens our species as a whole; meaning, it can wipe us all out. There is already countless research about this problem, explaining how it happened, the causes, and its possible solutions. This begs the question: if climate change is as grave as scientists and advocates portray it, why is it not talked about as much, and why is the world not having a simultaneous international meltdown? 

The human mind processes climate change like this: first, it is worthy to note that our minds aren’t built to handle threats like climate change and environmental degradation. It appears distant—its grave effects happening in the future or to other people. Second, if people experience the effects of climate change, they tend to reason out by saying that these are natural disasters, inevitable catastrophes brought about by nature. Then, if, by some miracle, a person accepts that climate change is real and it’s about to snap us all out, a person usually turns to the argument that any individual action they are making does not affect the world whatsoever, so what’s the point of sustainable and climate-friendly living?

A person would think up any argument, even silly ones, just to pass the blame to other people and skip out on their responsibility as stewards of the earth. 

The obstacle in solving climate change is not the lack of a solution but the lack of willingness to put the solution into action. 

The tricky thing about the climate issue, though, and what makes it seem insurmountable, is that it needs collective action. It takes all of us to make this kind of change. This is the kind of issue that one lone hero won’t be able to fix, not Superman, Batman, or Spiderman. It needs everyone. If you currently reside on planet earth, it is your responsibility to protect our common home. And this international participation that crosses borders precisely makes solving climate change difficult.

Of course, individual or seemingly minuscule actions are essential to combat climate change. When integrated into our culture as a society, sustainable and eco-friendly practices would ensure a climate change-free future for generations to come. However, it is essential to note that individual actions alone may not save or reverse the effects of climate change that will hit us all in a few years.

The burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation tops the main contributors to climate change. Ironically, the things that are making our lives easier and keeping us alive are the ones pushing us to the brink of extinction. There truly is a need for large-scale reforms in the industrial sector. 

People call for accountability from the big corporations that contribute to the worsening of climate change. However, what we need right now is not accountability or blaming but fast action. We need technology and firm policy to save the planet. Sure, switching to renewable energy or whatever is required to stop climate change is an arduous and painful process. But, what other choice do we have? 

Solving climate change is difficult, yes. But, it’s not impossible. Humanity has done far more seemingly impossible things than saving the planet and ending climate change. If we can transport hundreds of people from country to country in a flying metal contraption, if we can build towers that give people a full view of the clouds passing by below them, if a Filipino can talk to an American in real time despite being on opposite sides of the world, and if the world could go on lockdown for almost two years out of fear of an invisible virus, then it’s possible to solve climate change and secure our future.