Santa’s Respite, Our Respite

The first few pages of this part of the book show the brief respite Squarzoni and Camille have in New York. They enter through the door where they can find a short period of comfort, and come out the other side at the beacon of human development and success: New York City. All the lights on buildings and the beauty of the skyline gives Squarzoni a moment of consolation in the face of the grave facts of climate change. This tendency to enter the doors of comfort is something we all do, and it gives us a temporary respite, and perhaps an overconfidence in human ability.

Building on the seemingly endless list of associated issues with climate change, Squarzoni guides us into the discussion of rising sea levels. From the migratory issues it’s going to cause, to an increase in water related illnesses and a reduction in biodiversity in oceans and on-land, rising sea waters will perhaps have the most frightening effect on human life. Also important was the fact that the expert mentioned the political side of the issue, because people may want to institute changes to save the environment but may find political barriers in the way. It’s like my political science professor says: “It’s all politics.”

I thought the images of Santa, which come from an iconic Coca-Cola commercial, express the “fantasy world” we live in. It is the fantasy world we inhabit and return to for comfort in the prospect of the different world global warming will create. The image of Santa then is representative of the attitude of the developed world: willingly jubilant in spite of what lies in the future.