Reasons for hope

A few years ago, I briefly worked for a climate-related nonprofit. It was generally not a happy place to be. I labored in Idaho politics -- in paid roles and as a volunteer -- for about 10 years before that and left for the same reason: You can only bang your head against the wall for so long.

These days, I am an informed voter, but beyond that, I avoid politics. I figure a) I did my time in the trenches; b) I don't see the current gridlock going away soon; and c) I am simply far happier when I'm not immersed in the day-to-day Machiavellian minutiae in which I marinated for so long.

This morning, while listening to KUOW, I heard a roundup of environmental news from the past year and was surprised how much I'd missed. (In my defense, the huge holes in the Siberian tundra appeared during my annual mid-July media sabbatical.) Yet I was happy to hear that, although the climate situation remains serious, there is reason for hope. The U.S. and China have a new climate agreement and the ozone layer is starting to repair itself. I went online to try and find a link to the story and I couldn't locate it. But I found this.

It's always possible to dwell on what's wrong in the world. For me, for now, anyway, it feels better and healthier to focus on and celebrate the good news. I'm pulling for this baby orca. I'm glad to live in a state with forward-looking leadership. The world is an amazing place.