Have you ever seen a dinosaur address the United Nations? It’s understandably not a common occurrence, yet just last year a raptor walked right up to the podium to speak his mind. Okay, okay, so it was Jack Black voicing a raptor, but still – pretty unique, wouldn’t you say? There’s one thing that would be important enough to warrant a prehistoric creature giving a speech – and that’s global warming.
Frankie the Dinosaur takes confident strides into the United Nations headquarters. Most of the diplomats in the assembly hall either scurry away or nervously scoot as far from the aisle as they can. No one wants to be caught in the path of this living fossil – but it soon becomes obvious that he’s not here to devour anyone. No, this carnivore wants to make a last appeal to humanity to save themselves.
He steps up to the microphone to voice his warning. “At least we had an asteroid. What’s your excuse?” he asks. Driving ourselves extinct is ridiculous, so why are we allowing it? Despite the climate disaster we’re headed for (and, some would argue, are already in), there are still hundreds of billions in public funds going to fossil fuel subsidies. There is a multitude of better options for these funds to go toward. Will our nations’ leaders listen? Will the citizens of this world step up?
The frustrated raptor, channeling the feelings of so many around the globe, offers alternatives. Why not direct this money toward those living in poverty? Many protestors would also be glad to see a portion of the money go toward green energy technology advancements. They await the list of United Nations sustainable development goals that are going to actually be attained soon. There are plenty of ideas that would be better than funding our self-destruction. He continues to encourage us to save our species before it’s too late, and make changes now.
The United Nations Development Programme’s official website has a list of excuses and how to end them, shown as meteors ready to strike Earth. There’s also an option for joining the Global Mindpool, which allows people from around the world to work together in building a sustainable future. Seeing all the actors, artists, and organizations that have partnered together to make sure we #DontChooseExtinction is another inspiring side of the site. No matter what walk of life we’re from, humans can work together to improve a situation we have neglected for far too long. Climate change doesn’t need to be what takes us out – we just have to stop sitting back and letting it.
