The World Is on Fire. What Are You Going to Do About It?

The dystopian future climate scientists predicted decades ago is here. The wildfires that spread across Ontario and Canada’s Northwest Territories in July decimated millions of acres, disproportionately tearing through First Nations communities. Meanwhile, Europe’s unprecedented summer heat waves fueled drought, crop loss, and more wildfires blazing across Spain and France. During the first week of August, large brush fires erupted throughout the Pacific Northwest, with residents in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho rushing to pack their belongings to flee the path of destruction. This year is slated to be one of the hottest summers on record, continuing a decades-long trend. And the forecasted Super El Niño — a weather event which has previously caused famines and catalyzed the end of entire civilizations — is still on the slate for this year.Scientists say it’s only going to get hotter from here, unless we make drastic changes. To state the obvious: Fellas, it’s bad. Really bad.And the climate crisis is an issue that queer people especially should care about. According to the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, LGBTQ+ people in same-sex couples are more likely to live in parts of the country likely to be most impacted by climate change, such as coastal areas that will see dramatic sea-level rise, areas with infrastructure unequipped for hotter temperatures, and cities with fewer resources. Compared to their straight counterparts, per the Williams Institute, same-sex couples are more likely to be negatively impacted by climate change. Additionally, communities of color, particularly Black, Latine, and Indigenous people, are more likely to face the worst of climate change, compounded by lack of resources, geographic location, and economic class across the U.S.But these gaps in impact aren’t just a byproduct of bad luck. They’re consequences to decisions made by politicians. As transgender people across the country relocate to blue coastal states like