Axar.az presents an article, "Missouri is Burning” by John Samuel Tieman.

At a cafe in St. Louis, I recently had brunch with an acquaintance, Danielle. I mentioned to her how I don’t understand why solar panels are controversial. I said, “They’re not new technology. And they pay for themselves in a few years.”

She feels the same way about wind power. “I was raised in the Netherlands,” she said. “We’ve used wind power since the Middle Ages. A windmill is like our national symbol. That and a tulip.”

I’m not an environmentalist. I come to it because Missouri is burning. Which raises this question: Why is environmentalism so difficult? The climate crisis is transparent. The changes are dramatic. The solutions, like Danielle’s windmills, are self-evident. So why is environmentalism so difficult?

I have three thoughts.

First: The issues are indeed complex. Charts and graphs and lengthy reports can be daunting: that’s true. But most of us don’t need to do the science. We just need to listen to the scientists and observe the world around us.

Here’s an example. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that average global temperatures in 2024 were 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than the 20th-century average. That makes 2024 the hottest year on record. That beats the previous record — which was set in 2023.

Put a different way, it’s not that difficult to combine the complexity of the science with what is readily self-evident. There’s the science. Then there’s the self-evident.

A few years ago, I never got out my winter coat. As I began this essay, it was 85 degrees Fahrenheit here, in St. Louis, in October. If global warming continues at its present pace, by the end of this century, Missouri will resemble today’s Arizona. The science is complex. The evidence isn’t.

Second: Self-interest leads folks to act slowly. Perhaps we shouldn’t think of sacrifice. Perhaps we should think of delayed gratification.

Environmentalism is good business.. A transition to renewable energy yields savings. It has upfront costs, sure. But, according to the journal “Energy and Environmental Science”, if a community transitions to renewables by 2050, then the estimated average payback is in 5 ½ years. Often in development, however, the environment is a secondary or even a tertiary issue.

Third: Folks need to mobilize. Political polarization and misinformation make this difficult.

Long-term economic interests are often difficult to envision. Our national and state governments have abnegated their moral responsibility for dealing with the climate crisis.

Thus does it fall to Missouri’s regions, counties and municipalities to address the crisis. The common good means all of us, Kansas City, St. Louis, Crawford County, The Bootheal, all of us.

When I say “mobilize,” I mean advocate. I don’t mean accuse or antagonize. Advocacy is best done when it is patient, polite, and persistent.

But where to start? I’m not a climate expert, but I know how to organize, how to bring people together. People tend to be goodhearted, tend to see climate change as a problem, but they also tend to lack focus.

So give them one. Or two. Carbon assessment, for one. Once folks see how much carbon their community emits, the solutions readily suggest themselves.

Or the solar panel, for another. Like Danielle’s windmill, this is a proven technology.

Above all else, focus on hope. Regional cooperation is expanding. One new group, Cool Cities STL, is a collaboration of elected officials who address conservation, sustainability, the climate crisis, and environmental justice in St. Louis City and St. Louis County.

My point is not the start. My point is one thought. The hurdle is not the solution but the cast of mind that inhibits the start. What’s needed first is one single thought. What’s needed first is to see that the individual’s good and the common good are not two interests. What’s needed first is to see that development and environmentalism are not two endeavors. It’s all one planet. It’s all one thought. When you get that one thought, then the start follows.