An Analogy | Column

By: Josh Herring

Godzilla arose from the crust of the earth, and with him, we were forever changed. Hundreds of feet tall, the monster loomed over us, a marvel to behold. It breathed plumes of fire into the sky, thick smoke flaring from its nostrils and drifting down into the cities, choking the very air we breathed. Its massive stamping feet caused tsunamis with every step, and with every snorting breath, it whipped up hurricanes, leaving death and devastation in its wake. It wiped entire islands off the face of the earth, it reveled in chaos, baring its teeth in egregious flashes of arrogance. Its atrocities were widespread ruin.

Yet, we did nothing. Some was shock, the rest was inaction - what could we do? There was even a sect of people who didn't believe Godzilla existed - they'd never seen it, nor its destruction. They'd smirk as they drew their "Godzilla isn't real!" signs, willfully ignoring the numerous videos and pictures of the very real green lizard standing in the middle of the ocean. Similarly, world powers would meet every so often to deliberate on what to do about Godzilla. They passively agreed to do something, never really caring to elaborate further - it's an insurmountable problem so baby-steps seemed like enough at the time. Every so often, Godzilla would mockingly flinch its foot or take a really deep breath, and every time someone would say, "we should do something about that," but no action ever came.

Sounds absurd right? The way we fear Godzilla should be the same as climate change. But inaction is devastating as it continues to scourge our world, taking land and lives with it. As climate change looms over us, most of its effects, yet to be seen, will we slay it like Godzilla, or sit back and watch it unfold?