I’m not allowed to talk about climate change around family; as my mom warned me, “climate change is not something that people think about in Mississippi.” But I’m worried for my family’s future.

Sent on by
Anonymous
Send Your Own Message

Dear Tomorrow,

You don’t exist yet, but I think about you a lot. You’ve stayed on my mind more and more after I became knowledgeable of and extremely concerned about the imminent impacts of climate change and our ability to live comfortable, safe lives. I actually worry more for you and your children now than I do just thinking about you and what kind of person you will be.

One day you’ll hear a lot of memorable stories about my childhood, which truly couldn’t have been better. I grew up about two hours north of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in a rural region known as the Piney Woods. But once I got older and went to high school, I realized that I perceived the way the world should be quite differently than many of my classmates, mostly thanks to my parents who were closet liberals in an extremely conservative small town. I didn’t leave the South until I finished grad school, moving to Boston three days after graduation. It wasn’t until I had lived in Boston for more than a year that I became concerned about climate change, and since then it has become my biggest fear — for my future and for my family’s future.

What makes things even more difficult for me is that I don’t have many family members with whom I can discuss my worries, concerns, and personal efforts to affect climate change. I’m not allowed to talk about it around family; as my mom warned me, “climate change is not something that people think about in Mississippi. People don’t believe in global warming, and they don’t want to hear anything about it.” She and my dad don’t mind me talking about my concerns every once in a while, but I’ve been explicitly asked not to rock the boat by bringing up the topic around any extended family or anyone else when I travel back home.

But I’m worried for my family’s future. I’m worried about the rise in sea level near the Gulf Coast. I’m worried about stronger hurricanes, more extreme heat and humidity; I’m worried about the spread of disease and the impact of climate change on the Mississippi economy (which is already unable to support its citizens’ basic healthcare and education needs); and I worry about Mississippi’s (and the rest of the South’s) inability to elect Congresspeople and Senators who understand the reality and danger of climate change and who are willing to do anything about it. I’m worried about my sister and her future children and for their safety.

And I’m worried for you. I’ve traveled and seen many places in the world, and I chose to settle (for now) in Massachusetts. I want you to have the same opportunities and options ahead of you, and I don’t want you to be limited by climate change.

At this point in my life, my true passion is being an archivist. Soon after I became concerned about climate change, I considered the many ways in which it’s going to affect my profession. As an archivist, I’m responsible for the preservation of history for future generations. I believe whole-heartedly that archivists should be equally as passionate and concerned about the preservation of a habitable, safe planet for future generations. If there’s no future for which to preserve the record of history, what, then, is the point of being an archivist?

Last year, I gave a presentation at an annual archives conference outlining four ways in which archivists should be acting on climate change, and I’ve since founded a task force called ProjectARCC (Archives and the Reality of Climate Change) which focuses on addressing the four issues. The task force consists of archivists who are striving to motivate other archivists to take action against climate change, including ensuring the protection of our collections against the risks of climate change, reducing our professional carbon footprint, elevating archival collections to increase awareness and understanding of climate change, and preserving this moment in history.

I hope that by the time you read this I’ll have contributed in many more ways to improve the chances of you enjoying as safe and comfortable a life as possible. I also hope that much sooner will I be able to discuss climate change at home in Mississippi with family members and friends who care equally about preserving a place to live for you, your kids, and many generations to come.

-Love-

Share on:
 
Send Your Own Message

More Messages to the Future

 

My Dear Grandchildren,

In writing this letter to you, I am searching for ways to make my connection and commitment to you more present in my current experience

 

Dear Jackson,

I feel deeply that it is my moral obligation as your Mom to protect your future and allow you to inherit a clean and healthy planet.

 

I promise to plant trees and to turn off the lights.

 

To all the people here on earth,

Who knows what the future would look like? or what will happened in the future? No one knows right? That’s why it it’s scary because we don’t know what lies ahead. We couldn’t stop the future but we can always change it.

 

Dear Soren,

In this world that is changing before our eyes, I believe that is our task: standing unflinchingly on the side of love, connecting with others, and forging ahead together.

 

Dear next generation,

Please don’t wait to see the adverse effects instead adopt that river, stream, lake or ocean to make the world a better place.

 

Dear future me,

I’m doing this work because I see it as the best way to save and improve as many lives as possible. I’m doing it so you, 2050 Ryan, can look at yourself in the mirror. And so you can tell your kids and grandkids someday that you did everything you could.

 

Dear Future,

“I knew you would want to know how the future turned out. You got so anxious about climate change as we grew older.  By coming back, I thought I could help you with that.”

 

Dear Alanna and Valeria,

I promise you to keep trying, to keep educating, to keep pushing our elected officials to act and protect your health now and in the future.

 

Dear Tomorrow,

I promise to eat less meat.

 

Meus filhos,

Devemos conservar nosso planeta. Mas, para se fazer isso, temos que fazer isso juntos. Todos os seres humanos devem estar voltados para cuidar bem do lar em que vivemos e do presente que Deus nos deu para viver: a Terra.

 

Dear Tomorrow,

Awareness is key. Learning about this issue can seem like a small effort compared to other actions, but it’s the most important.

View All Messages

Send Your Own Message