9/11 lingers. Like a splinter so deeply embedded under the skin it can no longer be seen, only felt; like the sound of a bell rung long ago whose timbre and vibration haunt after the sound has become a whisper, 9/11 has entered our national bloodstream. Over 2,900 lives lost, countless other lives shaken and torn. After 20 years, we reached the tragic but long-needed end to the misguided American foray into Afghanistan a few weeks ago with more lives lost along with all hope of equity for women and a more open society.
Still, Joe Biden had the guts to play the lousy hand he was dealt by previous administrations mesmerized or cowed by the military’s egregious and imperious belief in its own might and right. In the end we are all diminished, especially the soldiers, volunteers who signed up for a mission, however poorly defined, that they could never fulfill.
Two trillion dollars, a number almost inconceivable to most of us, was spent to extinguish nearly 2,500 American lives, over 51,000 Taliban lives, 66,000 Afghan military, and another 47,000 civilians; 8,000 contractors lost their lives; 75 journalists also; 20,000 American troops were injured.
In the intervening years, some 30,000 soldiers have taken their own lives. This war cost almost one solider per person lost in the 9/11 attack. (Figures from Brown University)
Our costs don’t end with the dollars spent so far. Unlike past wars, when presidents and Congress had the guts to enact tax increases to cover costs, the war on terrorism will keep costing us to cover the debt incurred — $6 Trillion by 2050. Quite an expensive lingering aftereffect.
COVID also lingers. So far, 660,000 deaths. More than 200 times the lives lost in the original 9/11 attack WITH billions of dollars in uncountable losses. Our lack of discipline and inability to come together as the country did briefly after 9/11 has left thousands of people each week getting exposed, falling ill, and dying.
Much of the exposure is self-inflicted. Much of the misunderstanding about the vaccine is directly due to people who think it is OK to risk lives and national stability for a perceived partisan political advantage. So the disinformation continues and so does the dying.
Against this background, we look up to notice the other crisis looming over us like the stormy shadows of Hurricane Ida. The climate disaster we have been ignoring amid wars for oil, financial crises and a pandemic is now undeniable. In early August the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its sixth and latest report and the conclusion is dire: “It’s Code Red for Humanity.”
Totally. But I think we should be calling it Code Green. Red means stop. Green means go. Get moving. Reach your destination faster. We need permission and incentive to move. Each and every one of us can take action individually and in community (more on that soon). Imagine if we had spent $6 trillion 20 years ago or even half that, which is what the Biden administration is working to get through Congress (again against protests of those who don’t want to pay a fair share of taxes).
What if all the former coal miners, frackers, or oil well employees stopped risking their lives and our planet for dirty energy and instead were trained for and offered good-paying jobs in solar, wind, battery and related green technology (including green infrastructure to manage flooding, heat, cold) focused on offsetting climate damage and preventing further erosion of our climate? What if we had insulated and solarized every house, helped every business conserve water and energy, fortified sewer systems, replanted forests and insisted energy-hog industries (like the tech titans) pay their fair share to reduce energy use and green production?
We cannot afford to linger over climate change action. Here’s a place to start: on Saturday, Sept. 18, 1:30 p.m. at Energy Park in Greenfield, state Rep. Paul Mark presents information about the ambitious plan passed by the Legislature (overriding Gov. Baker’s veto) to reduce our greenhouse gasses by 50% within the next eight years. It is the first law of its kind in the nation. Every resident of the state has a role—some heavy lifting is needed.
Like barn raisings of old, like all hands on deck in a storm, this is our call to action. The tagline of the sponsors says it all: “We are not alone. We are all in this together!”
Judy Wagner is a member of the Northfield Energy Committee. For more information about this legislation contact Rep. Mark at paul.mark@mahouse.gov or Pam Kelly at PamSkelly@comcast.net