Climate Change and Me.
This is a short look into my own awareness development and feelings about the climate change humanity is confronting…or not!
In the beginning in faraway Buenos Aires, climate was one of the envelopes that surrounded my life. There were four clear seasons. Spring and Autumn were inspiring by their beauty and feeling. It was the right temperature for me, in Spring the pastel colors of evening, rose and lilac; In Autumn the cloudy sky and the dry golden leaves… Winter was cold with some rain. Summer was hot and humid, with tropical rains that sometimes caused floods. These were facts that repeated themselves along the years. It was constancy, regularity. A framework to look through life. There will be school time in Winter, a beautiful spring to enjoy, then Summer, time to travel to the sea or the mountains! And again, Autumn giving notice that school time is approaching.
I grew up in a big city, but Nature was still present in the eyes of my childhood. Because it was so many years ago, I got to see the cows with the milkman, coming down the street. He would stop at the entrance of the house. My mother would bring a tall pot, he would milk the cow into it. My mother would put the pot on the stove, to boil for a while, since milk was not pasteurized.
The street in the corner of my house was not paved. The ditches on both sides had some depth. In Spring and Summer all kinds of weeds and little flowers grew up. We, the children, were allowed to play there. I remember the smell of fresh greenery.
But as far as 1958 there were scientists predicting global warming! I was not aware of it. It took a very long time to come to it.
Still, the Amazon was a jungle with indigenous people living in, and all kinds of animals and colorful birds and exotic flowers. And far Alaska, in the words of Jack London (in White Fang) was covered with snow and ice. All these was true and believable.
Life has its secret story for each of us, so, years later I was living in Israel. The seasons asked for rearrangement in my mind, here the Summer was long: six months without rains and a burning sun that made my skin red if too much exposed. The winter was short, cold and rainy, about three months long. And the intermediate seasons were almost invisible: cold in the morning, hot at noon. I learned to dress with layers.
Years passed by. Many, many years passed by. Technology and communication changed in fantastic ways, unexpected, incredible ways.
And then, the beginning of a new century and a new millennium! Soon enough, voice spread about global warming, about the oceans warming up, and the air becoming filthy. My first concern were my children and grandchildren. In which kind of world will they live, how will they live. A new, and intense anxiety spread inside me; will this be the end of the world? I woke up in the mornings. When I listened birds chirping and singing nearby, I calmed down.
A new era began: Don’t make much trash, trash things in categories, don’t buy too much clothing, it also makes rubbish and the production is also bad for the globe. I try my best to be a good citizen, buy new cans for different kinds of trash, and keep to it. I buy with a new concept in mind: saving is important for the earth.
I saw videos with people making compost in their house. I tried to convince my neighbors, since I live in an apartment, to make compost in the garden. There are some composters in town. They did not agree, were scared of insects and rats. I gave up for now. There is a need to educate people to take care of the planet. There is no automatic understanding.
A few years ago, there was a very dry season, it was already December, no rain, a hot sun on our heads. Fires began in the woods. At some point I was in my balcony and the smell of smoke reached me. I was terrified, took my dog and went to the center of town. Europe sent help. This country could not cope with the fires. Still now, in the way to Jerusalem you can see the charred trees, and the naked surface of the land. It is so sad.
At some point, I ask myself and the people in my ambient if our small actions will help. I watch news about global warming, I read what are the nations policies about it. I feel a deep helplessness, still I try to fill my small duties to take care of the Earth I love so much. I feel part of the planet. When despair comes to me, I go out to see the green trees, to listen to the birds. All the time they are there, there is hope.
Our responsibility to them is a serious demand that we have to accept for the future of all of us.
This is a short account of my personal coping with the global warming. I know the nations of the world must take serious steps to at least keep the situation from deteriorating. I would like to believe the huge economic companies that have interest in gains and the nations that have to channel budgets for the purpose of improving the world climate situation will take responsibility. We, the regular citizens of this world have to cope with the heavy uncertainty that hangs on our shoulders and continue taking care.
It is very worrying that my government is dropping out actions that have been programmed and put into action for improving the planet.
Rachel Chejanovsky is a senior clinical psychologist and group analyst working with individuals, couples and groups. She is involved with IIGA on the Interior and Reception Committee and its training programme. Currently she co-writes the GA Dictionary for Contexts with Carmen O’Leary and Carla Penna. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and lives in Rehovot, Israel.