The Reckonings/Lacy M. Johnson/2018
The climate crisis has affected more than anyone can imagine; oil corporations have a long history of being power hungry, are primarily focused on profits, and have desecrated life on and off of land. Lacy M. Johnson brings light to the devastating issues that oil corporations have inflicted on not only our society but most importantly our ecosystem in her essay, “What We Pay”. In the beginning of the essay, an environmental activist visits a college class to discuss the recent BP oil spill. She tells the class that those who rely on the oil industry were to stand on one side, and those who do not rely on the industry to stand on the other side. “Many of the students stood on the not at all side, I wanted to stand there too. But I remind my students that in Houston, everything is tied to the oil industry, even, and especially, art” (Johnson 94). It is extremely unfortunate that so many states in the U.S. are so reliant on the oil industry; many people don’t realize how dependent we truly are. Not only have oil spills destroyed shorelines and devastated sea life, but they have also affected those above water. People who help clean up after spills get sick with a wide range of environmental risks; many even losing their lives. As a crowd gathered to march in protest of the BP oil spill in Houston, Texas, an activist tells the crowd of the many years of environmental injustice. “In the early days we had rashes and respiratory problems, but now it’s moved into cancers, very aggressive cancers. In parts of where I live in Louisiana… they say they’re burying about a person a week”(Johnson 103-104). I personally feel overwhelmed with anxiety when the climate crisis comes to mind. Living in Georgia definitely does not make it easy to ignore the drastic changes of weather. I feel that the climate crisis is a common anxiety throughout the world, and even though people are near panic about it, they still choose not to do anything to make a difference; I’m guilty of this myself. I think this is because many choose to ignore the things that scare them, hoping their worries will eventually just go away. People are so focused on all of their own problems, they don’t stop to think about the issues shared among us all that need to be brought to attention. “We all have so many problems,” she says, “and because we can’t even solve our personal problems, like how to pay our rent, how can we even think about, much less solve, the bring problems we all have in common”(Johnson 100)? There are an awful lot of people who deny the fact that the climate is changing. The BP oil spill magnified the impact of oil around the world; people never realized this beforehand. The ice caps are melting, the sea levels are rising, and this is causing serious implications for cities, islands, and communities worldwide. Lands are drying out, and due to this, people are leaving their countries and trying to migrate to other countries who are not welcoming; this is globally affecting mass migration and immigration. There are people who are seriously impacted by the crisis. Even though I have not yet been touched by it, my friends and relatives have, whether it is an increased number of hurricanes on the east coast or unprecedented fires on the west coast. In spite of the fact that there are a lot of people who are still denyers, the youth of the world appear to be much more tuned into the future risk. Young environmental activists such as, 16 year old Greta Thunberg and Isra Hirsi, are getting attention for their ongoing fight to abolish the increasing environmental risks that are threatening the globe. Activism related to the climate crisis and pollution is spreading from nation to nation, and hopefully will continue to aid in preventing the loss of human lives and anomalous environmental conditions.
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