Climate change is the moon shot of our time
The 50th anniversary of the moon landing on July 21, 1969, reminded me of the optimism, courage and can-do spirit of the American people. This spirit was captured by one of President Kennedy’s speeches which has resonated with me, specifically his 1962 speech at Rice University in Houston, when he said:
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”
The quote represented the courageous and optimistic spirit of all Americans at that time. It is in this spirit that this generation should answer the call of climate change, which represents a crisis that impacts all races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds and geographic locations.
We should not shy away from the immense burdens of this responsibility, but embrace this mantle as we have always done, with courage and optimism.
Let us, the local community of Fredericksburg, provide that rare combination of leadership, timing and public will to commit ourselves to providing a clean and fossil-free environment for the future by making a public commitment to move to 100 percent clean and renewable energy by 2050.
Over 115 cities and counties, and six states, in the U.S. have made this commitment, and I believe that Fredericksburg should join them.
Sudhanshu C. Pathak
Fredericksburg
Fossil Free Fredericksburg 