Dear Mr. Prime Minister, and all those it may concern,
The celebrated Newfoundland writer Gwynne Dyer wrote a column in The Telegram on December 21st. In it he discusses Climate Change and more specifically the “points of no return”. He concluded his column with a phrase that has stuck with me. “We are missing all the exits on the Highway to Hell.”
I think that is very powerful imagery. Just imagine, you’re sitting at the wheel of a car, driving down a road with signs flashing by every few moments saying “Hell ahead,” or “Caution, you’re approaching Hell.” There are exits every few miles, but you have your hand on the wheel and you haven’t turned that wheel since you got in the car so turning it is scary. So while you’re sitting there trying to will yourself to make the scary move and turn off that highway, the one we’ve always been on, we are getting closer and closer to Hell and now there’s ash falling from the sky. The exits are becoming less and less frequent and there are helpless children in the back seat yelling at you to turn. But you don’t. You’re too scared because we’re not quite sure where the exits will lead. But we know where the highway we’re on leads. Hell.
I hope you are having a wonderful day!
Amelia Penney-Crocker