Jump the Chasm: Are You an EcoDaredevil?

By Wallace J. Nichols
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Tuesday 22 April 2008

In the 1970s, I idolized Evel Knievel. He was rock star, sports hero and folk legend in one. His death-defying jumps inspired me to launch my bicycle over puddles and many a hapless friend.

Now, I find new inspiration in my childhood hero. In 1961, before he became "Evel," Robert Craig Knievel hitchhiked with the rack of a bull elk from Montana to our nation's capital to protest the culling of elk in Yellowstone. The Kennedy administration responded and countless elk were saved.

Today, we face more serious crises - loss of biodiversity, a warming planet, collapsing fisheries, looming food and water shortages, and pollution in every corner of the globe. Scientists forecast a "2050 Scenario" in which Earth is hotter, dirtier and overcrowded with nine billion people who are left to wage wars for what little remains.

Jumping this chasm will be the greatest challenge we have ever faced. It will require revolutionary changes in society and technology. To succeed, we must be brave, creative and outspoken. We must undertake the audacious, the impossible and the dangerous. We must risk our financial, social and physical comfort.

In other words, we must become EcoDaredevils.

Everywhere I go, I meet EcoDaredevils. They are debating, creating, evolving - yes, sometimes crashing - but always, always coming back for more. Two Texas women cleaning a beach and inspiring Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup that is now half-a-million strong. Sir Richard Branson greening aviation. Feliciano dos Santos campaigning with music for clean water in Africa. Architect Renzo Piano turning a massive roof into a meadow with solar panels. WaterKeeper Julio Solis drag racing in Mexico to raise awareness of our ocean crisis.

Changing light bulbs, inflating tires and toting reusable bags are all important gestures. But it's going to take action far more thrilling to make it over this canyon. Still, must do something for the planet - something that invites personal risk.

They say that Evel Knievel broke every bone in his body at one time or another. But, he kept on jumping. His steely will enthralled me as an eight-year-old. It still does today.

So, it's Earth Day 2008. Look deep inside. Grab hold of your inner EcoDaredevil. Strap on a helmet, some red-white-and-blue leathers, and let's go for a ride.

Dr. Wallace J. Nichols is a senior scientist at Ocean Conservancy and a research associate at California Academy of Sciences.

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Editor's Note: It's important to get out of our comfort zones as we tackle the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. But taking a leap is not just about blind risk-taking; after all, even Evel needed a place to land. In our case - which is the planet's case - the place we are aiming for is to reduce the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 380 parts per million to 350 ppm.

This is different from what you heard last year. Last year, scientists thought that 450 ppm might be a safe level for keeping the planet habitable. But the ice is melting faster than anyone expected, and the consequences of an even slightly warmer world are looking more severe. So - the chasm just got a little wider, which is why we need to fire up our inner daredevil and go for it. Environmental writer Bill McKibben is helping to launch the campaign for a 350 ppm target. He has all kinds of wild and crazy actions you can take to rev up this reality. Check it out at www.350.org. Just don't be disappointed if you end up on a bicycle instead of a motorcycle! - Kelpie Wilson, Truthout Environment Editor

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