[Intro]
Oh
La, la, la
Oh
Come to me
Oh
La, de, de
[Verse 1]
My mind keeps wandering
Wondering
What if?
My mind keeps wandering
Wondering
Over a cliff?
[Bridge]
Walking toward the edge
Standing on a ledge
[Chorus]
What if we thought it through
Think of the things we could do
If we changed our minds
And started being kind
… to all kinds
[Instrumental, Guitar Solo, Drum Fills]
[Verse 2]
My mind keeps wandering
Wondering
What of?
My mind keeps wandering
Wondering
What of love (What of love?)
[Bridge]
Walking toward the edge
Standing on a ledge
[Chorus]
What if we thought it through
Think of the things we could do
If we changed our minds
And started being kind
… to all kinds
[Instrumental,Saxophone Solo, Piano]
[Verse 3]
My mind keeps wandering
Wondering
What about?
My mind keeps wandering
Wondering
What about figuring it out?
[Bridge]
Walking toward the edge
Standing on a ledge
[Chorus]
What if we thought it through
Think of the things we could do
If we changed our minds
And started being kind
… to all kinds
[Instrumental, Piano]
[Outro]
Walking toward the edge
Standing on a ledge
A SCIENCE NOTE
Climate breakdown, the most alarming development, occurs when feedback loops are triggered, and tipping points are crossed. This leads to the extinction of plants, the disappearance of carbon sinks, and an exponential acceleration of Earth’s temperature. The consequences are dire, with the potential disappearance of vital resources like food, fresh water, and breathable air, likely followed by catastrophic impacts on human survival.
In October 2023, the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that the average temperature for September hit 16.38 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record set in September 2020 by 0.5 degrees Celsius. Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo described it as “mind-blowing” and emphasized the devastating impacts on people and ecosystems, citing destruction of assets, infrastructure, and harvests. “What we are observing, are not only new extremes but the persistence of these record-breaking conditions, and the impacts these have on both people and planet, are a clear consequence of the warming of the climate system,” Director Buontempo said.
By January 2024, the Earth had experienced an alarming annual average temperature increase of over 1.5 degrees Celsius. This temperature rise continued in February 2024, with a monthly average reaching 1.77 degrees above pre-industrial levels, occurring centuries earlier than previously predicted. The urgency to address and combat climate change has never been more critical.
In a significant update from May 2024, scientists determined through tree ring analysis that the average temperature increase in 2023 reached 2.07 degrees Celsius, further underscoring the escalating pace of climate change and its profound impact on global ecosystems.
The Age of Loss and Damage
Humans will experience greater loss and damage to life and quality of life from air pollution, decreasing supply of potable water, extreme weather events, disease, and other adverse health outcomes. The greatest short term climate change risk to human health is deadly humid heat (wet-bulb temperature).