“It’s hot there too?” I said in disbelief. He responded saying “it’s that hot everywhere now.”
I was walking with my future self in a busy street in central London.
“But I only thought it got hot here – how could it get hot in Toronto?” I replied confused. “That doesn’t matter…” he said with a sigh before being cut off. “Okay but I swear Canada is like a winter wonderland” I said sarcastically.
Suddenly the mood shifted and he looked in my eyes – “don’t you get it!” he exclaimed, “things are changing everywhere and this is what your exchange will teach you!” I fell into a slump.
“If there’s no snow, how am I supposed to take my Instagram photos?” I sheepishly said. He started to raise his voice as the regret appeared on my face, “this is an emergency and one that you will learn is inescapable, even halfway across the world!”
He was right. But what am I supposed to do to change it? My actions were nothing compared to the task at hand.
“You’re doubtful that you have any agency over this situation, aren’t you?” he whispered, blowing my mind in the process. “How do you know I was thinking that?” I replied. In a calm and collected tone he looked at me and said “it’s not impossible to change the future, tackling the climate emergency is one the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.” He put his hand on my shoulder, “you have access to endless resource like https://www.un.org/en/actnow to start being the change you want to see in the world”. He got even closer to my face – “it just takes someone like you to decide to make that change.”
The general mumble of the street stopped as time went silent. The echoing clock of fate had reached me, and now it was my time to take it.
“I want to take these lessons from my exchange” I said “I want to come back with more than just good memories, but a future I can look forward to.” His expression changed to the most delightful grin “that’s the spirit.”
“What can I do to get started on this mission?” I responded back in earnest. “First step is to have one day a week where you’re vegan” he said with confidence, “and then you’re going to want to have a look at https://drawdown.org and https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator” He looked around the street as he explained “I also heard https://goodonyou.eco was useful – and don’t forget to download this app https://www.thecommons.earth !”
As I eagerly listened, my mind suddenly came to one thought – “but how do you know all this?”
He looked at me and said “I learnt it all walking in London, with my future self.”
