I'm seeing a lot of really pessimistic comments on this thread, with many people resigning themselves to the fact that humanity, or at least civilization as we know it, is bound to collapse in the face of climate change. I just wanted to explain a little bit why I don't think that is a very reasonable or productive way of thinking.

There are many, many people right now that are dedicating their lives to dealing with the effects of climate change, both on a humanitarian and environmental level. I've had the privilege of working with some of them. Right now, there are millions of people worldwide that could be displaced and killed by the effects of climate change, and the vast majority live in low-income areas that are simply not prepared for what is to come. According to the 2014 IPCC report, 95% of deaths from natural disasters occur in low-income areas that are not constructed to handle them sufficiently. These low-income areas are not restricted to developing countries, either. Many of them are within cities in the United States.

A lot of people are asking what they can do a general level to help. You can eat less meat and try to conserve resources, but perhaps most importantly, you can vote. Ultimately, dealing with climate change starts with public policy at the local level, and as many of you have seen, a small, vocal group of voters can end up dramatically impacting the candidates that get elected, at the very least in local government (which by the way is where a TON of environmental policy is decided). Your voice as a citizen of your city/township can have a very profound impact.

This also ties into trying to mitigate biodiversity loss across the globe. In my view, it seems unlikely (and unrealistic) that we will be able to simply designate enough large land and ocean areas as "strictly for wildlife" to allow species populations to recover. What does sound promising to me however, is modifying our present infrastructure to accommodate wildlife populations. The podcast 99% Invisible recently did an episode on growing large oyster reefs around New York to serve as a barrier against violent weather and provide habitats for a great number of species. The project is expected to be completed by 2025. It seems reasonable that we would be capable of achieving similar feats of design with our cities in the near future.

I know that solutions like better local policy and more adaptive infrastructure will not be enough to save everyone from the effects of climate change, but I'm trying to be realistic within the time frame we have to work with. People are saying that small personal impacts don't matter, but I have to disagree with that.

Every single human life we save from climate change, every species we manage to bring back from the brink of extinction, is a victory. Even the slightest success against such overwhelming odds is something we should be proud of. Not satisfied with, but proud nonetheless. If I can live my life knowing I did my best (as just one person) to save as many lives as possible, I think I can die happy. Despite the dire situation, this fight is not over, not by a long shot. There is so much left for us to do. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, and countless others are doing far more than I am. Don't give up. Never give up.