Technically speaking, escape velocity is the lowest velocity which a body must achieve in order to escape the gravitational attraction of a planet or other object.

I propose an alternate definition: “The lowest velocity of humanity’s efforts to stem the effects to climate change in order to escape irreversible damage to the planet that will imperil human existence.”

We hope civilization has the collective resolve to achieve this velocity. While we do not have a precise moment in time when this jeopardy tipping-point might be reached, all evidence indicates that moment may be too close for comfort.

So, the big question for today is whether we are making progress, and will it be enough?

On a positive note, renewables eclipsed coal for electrical generation in the US for the first time in April 2019. Costa Rica generates enough electricity from renewables to serve the needs of the entire country for 300 days of the year. Cities such as St Paul, Minnesota, USA and Denver, Colorado, USA have committed to reduce their carbon footprint 80-100 percent by 2050. New York City recently approved some of the most aggressive commercial building energy/efficiency legislation in the country.

But - not all the news is encouraging. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns we have 12 years to curb global warming (limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius) to avoid catastrophic effects. This suggests a disconnect between cities heralding a 2050 carbon reduction goal and the IPCC’s warning for 2030. While 20 years is insignificant on a cosmic scale, could it mean the difference between survival or extinction?

Another report in April indicates climate change is eliminating giant chunks of ice from Greenland at such a speed that the melt has already made a significant contribution to sea level rise, according to a new study. With global warming, the island will lose much more, threatening coastal cities around the world.

Approximately half of the planet's population is in cities that are vulnerable to sea rise, and the recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is bad news for places in the United States like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, or major Asian cities like Tokyo and Mumbai. Inland cities high above sea level may become beachfront property at some point in the future.

It is the convergence of social and industrial milestones that has brought us to this moment in history – the actions of governments, industrial innovation, commerce and individuals. Advocating loudly for stronger environmental regulation and advancements in sustainability innovations will only take us so far.

We, as individuals, must examine our own behaviors and choices. If we don’t choose to adopt more sustainable norms in our daily life, no amount of legislation or regulation will prevent catastrophe. We must start thinking of Climate Change as our own personal problem to solve, and not someone else’s responsibility in some other part of the globe. Collectively - we either achieve escape velocity together or we suffer the consequences together.