In 1975, a famous geologist said:

“The climate system is an angry beast, and we are poking it with sticks.”

Today, this issue of an angry climate and its disruption is high on the list of priorities of young people in high schools and universities around the world, and it is in the news and being discussed more and more among politicians and citizens, whether they believe in it or not. It is the key environmental issue of our time and will be for generations to come. Climate scientists are telling us, however, that we need to act decisively and cooperatively in the next 10 years or so to make a dent in this problem.

Since all of humanity and nature share the same atmosphere that is well-mixed over time, there is a need for global thinking on what to do about climate change and disruption. But we all live in countries, regions, states, communities, and in neighborhoods—where we can act, communicate, share concerns, and make changes. So, the expression “Think globally, and act locally” is appropriate for all of us. Tonight, we want to take a hard look and work together creatively to come up with practices and policies that are relevant to us as citizens of the Upper Valley and to solving this vexing problem.