I Feel Selfish

We had a few days of classes that were focused completely on climate change. I was really excited to learn about how climate change is effecting the region and the possibilities for the future. Of course, there had to be a bunch of review so everyone could get on the same page in terms of the science behind climate change and everything, but I soon realized that we would be reviewing for 2 days straight, and not going much further in depth. I was disappointed but more frustrated with myself. For the past few years I have been sitting through classes that explain how things are spiraling downwards with feedback loops, tipping points, lack of leadership and total confusion amongst where blame and responsibility lie among developing and developed countries. Last semester back home I felt like I was finally taking action and DOING something about these issues instead of sitting around discussing how scary they are. Now I’m here. I increased my personal carbon footprint by a LOT flying here. I’ve been swinging around in my hammock, enjoying learning about new bird species and eating tropical fruits but not really DOING anything. I feel selfish. Last night the Leadership Campaign had a sleepout in Amherst and I wanted to be there so bad! I know that in the long run, this experience will have given me a valuable perspective that will help me to take better action in the future. But I can’t help feeling that the time is NOW and all I'm doing is hiking through the rainforest, looking at Acacia plants.