Climate Corner: The future my daughter lost and how we get it back

Jul 12, 2025

Jonathan Brier

climatecorner@brierjon.com

2025 is … the year the government of the United States turned its back on science. … the year I became a dad. … the future my daughter should have seems to be more of a dream now. I am not going to lie down and let this future slip away from her, nor should you let it slip away from your kids or grandkids. We deserve clean air, clean water, clean energy, and public lands that are preserved along with a clean environment. It is time to speak up and take action. Here are a few ways to start.

* Downloading the Climate Action Now app. Take action: i.e. read an article, sign a petition, call and/or send a letter to your elected representative. Read more about Climate Action Now at www.climateactionnow.com/ and if you can afford to, consider making a donation to a local environmental organization

* Invest if you can in ways which support the economy you want. www.cleanenergycu.org/ and www.climatefirstbank.com/ support a clean energy and more efficient use of energy. Their Certificates of Deposit and accounts are used to back loans for solar and energy upgrades while you get a Return on Investment (ROI).

* Invest in projects (and get returns on that investment) such as climatize.earth/ (as low as $10 investment) and www.energea.com/ are some ways you directly help finance energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy and make a ROI. Then there is Kiva.org which has no ROI, but you can relend to help finance www.kiva.org/ and experiment.com/ to support research projects.

* Become a member, donate, sign up for emails from a local climate organization: i.e. Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action, Citizens Climate Lobby, Rural Action, Save Ohio Parks, etc. support those taking action in your community for a more sustainable environment.

* Make a plan to electrify your home. Electrification can be cost effective when replacing at the end of life and electricity utilizes energy much more effectively than other energy sources. https://homes.rewiringamerica.org/personal-electrification-planner

* Read up on topics, don’t just listen to the opinions of others. I’ve found many to be misinformed and outdated. I’m currently reading Plug In!: The Electrification Handbook by Saul Griffith ISBN 9781743823927 to understand more about the economics of home electrification in Australia.

* Vote – This may be the most impactful as policy shapes our society and economy present and future. Educating yourself on the candidates and making an informed decision. Vote for the individual, don’t be lazy and vote just because they are in a party you affiliate with.

My daughter’s future is at stake. Your wallet and retirement are at stake. For heaven’s sake, all our health seems to be no longer relevant based on the current EPA rollback of environmental standards and defunding NASA and the weather service, removing critical climate and weather data, defunding science projects which mean gaps and potential loss of critical research data.

So I ask you, if you can do one thing this weekend, what is your plan to do it? Then share your plan or if you did it, what you did social media with the hashtag #climatecorner and tag this newspaper. Help bring back the future my daughter deserves.

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Jonathan Brier is a Marietta, Ohio resident, Information Scientist, Data Librarian, and an Eagle Scout. He is a member of the American Library Association, Association of Computing Machinery, American Association for the Advancement of Science, OpenStreetMap US, Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, and a Wikipedia contributor. If you would like to reach him, visit https://brierjon.com or email: climatecorner@brierjon.com.