“I want to share with you also a story that I also picked in Japan. This is a story of a hummingbird. One day, there was a fire, big fire, in the forest. And all the animals were scared stiff; they were overwhelmed by the fire; and they ran away. But the hummingbird decided not to run away. It decided it will go to the river, pick a drop of water, come and put on the fire, and go back (drops of water).
“And all this time, the animals are asking it, “What are you doing? This fire is too big for you; you cannot do anything. You need more power. You need. . . . You can’t do it with a beak.” But the hummingbird believed in itself. The hummingbird empowered itself, and rushed to the river. It decided . .. and brought drops of water to try to put off the fire.
“The more they talked, the more they mocked it . . . ”
What can one person do? Why isn’t anyone doing anything? What’s the point? There is no point. Why should I bother? It’s too late. I don’t believe in global warming. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to change my lifestyle. Individual action is useless; we need systemic change. Conservation is only a personal virtue. We need to feed the world. We need fossil fuel. It’s fear-mongering. These are just scare tactics. Climate change is a tree-hugger’s fantasy. Human beings will never change.
“. . . the more they discouraged it, the more it went to the river. And the fire was burning. And the animals said, “What do you think you are doing?” And the hummingbird said, “I’m doing what I can.”
Martin Rowe 