The Lost Cause

Thirty years from now and the effects of climate change are overwhelming the planet – but so are the global efforts to combat it. For young Americans a generation from now, climate change isn’t controversial, it’s a fact of life. But there are still those Americans who cling to their red trucker caps, their anger, their nostalgia for the golden age of assault rifles. Their ‘alternative’ news sources reassure them their resentment is right and pure and ‘climate change’ is a con. They’re your grandfather, your uncle, your great-aunt. They’re not going anywhere. And they’re armed to the teeth.

Thirty years from now and the effects of climate change are overwhelming the planet – but so are the global efforts to combat it. For young Americans a generation from now, climate change isn’t controversial, it’s a fact of life. But there are still those Americans who cling to their red trucker caps, their anger, their nostalgia for the golden age of assault rifles. Their ‘alternative’ news sources reassure them their resentment is right and pure and ‘climate change’ is a con. They’re your grandfather, your uncle, your great-aunt. They’re not going anywhere. And they’re armed to the teeth.

It's thirty years from now. We're making progress, mitigating climate change, slowly but surely. But what about all the angry old people who can't let go? For young Americans a generation from now, climate change isn't controversial. It's just an overwhelming fact of life. And so are the great efforts to contain and mitigate it. Entire cities are being moved inland from the rising seas. Vast clean-energy projects are springing up everywhere. Disaster relief, the mitigation of floods and superstorms, has become a skill for which tens of millions of people are trained every year. The effort is global. It employs everyone who wants to work. Even when national politics oscillates back to right-wing leaders, the momentum is too great; these vast programs cannot be stopped in their tracks. But there are still those Americans, mostly elderly, who cling to their red baseball caps, their grievances, their huge vehicles, their anger. To their "alternative" news sources that reassure them that their resentment is right and pure and that "climate change" is just a giant scam. And they're your grandfather, your uncle, your great-aunt. And they're not going anywhere. And they're armed to the teeth. The Lost Cause asks: What do we do about people who cling to the belief that their own children are the enemy? When, in fact, they're often the elders that we love?

It's thirty years from now. We're making progress, mitigating climate change, slowly but surely. But what about all the angry old people who can't let go? For young Americans a generation from now, climate change isn't controversial. It's just an overwhelming fact of life. And so are the great efforts to contain and mitigate it. Entire cities are being moved inland from the rising seas. Vast clean-energy projects are springing up everywhere. Disaster relief, the mitigation of floods and superstorms, has become a skill for which tens of millions of people are trained every year. The effort is global. It employs everyone who wants to work. Even when national politics oscillates back to right-wing leaders, the momentum is too great; these vast programs cannot be stopped in their tracks. But there are still those Americans, mostly elderly, who cling to their red baseball caps, their grievances, their huge vehicles, their anger. To their "alternative" news sources that reassure them that their resentment is right and pure and that "climate change" is just a giant scam. And they're your grandfather, your uncle, your great-aunt. And they're not going anywhere. And they're armed to the teeth. The Lost Cause asks: What do we do about people who cling to the belief that their own children are the enemy? When, in fact, they're often the elders that we love?