Like mothers all over the world, I watched with joy as The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge emerged from a London hospital with their newborn baby boy. Offering a glimpse of their little treasure, Kate said she felt, "very emotional... any parent will know what this feels like." With a gushing grin, William called the baby "marvelous."
SO SWEET... and Kate's right. All parents know that tender, fragile feeling when all your hopes and dreams come true and you carry the most precious creature alive in your arms -- your baby.
You may feel your children have nothing in common with the newborn Prince, but they share something with every other child on this planet. Whether our children live in a palatial palace in England, a ramshackle shack in Bangladesh, or near a coal mine in Kentucky, they DID NOT create the climate problem.
We did... and now we have a royal problem.
Human activities from burning fossil fuels to produce energy have released massive amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, blanketing the warming world our children inhabit. And, as we've seen, small changes in the average temperature of the planet translates to potentially dangerous shifts in the climate and weather conditions our children will endure.
Kate and William also share something with parents around the globe. They will adjust their lives to do everything in their power to protect their precious infant. Of course, in their case, this will require countless bodyguards and nannies, but being parents will guide the way they rule their lives and one day, their country. While their prince grows, Kate and William will do their parental job to make decisions that will shape his world.
Can you imagine a parent ignoring their baby when it cries out? Is she hungry? Is she wet? Does she need a hug? This is a parent's job.
We cannot deny the facts. The generations that preceded our children, our generation, created a world that is unsustainable. And it's up to us to attend to its needs now, so our children don't suffer its worst consequences.
Moms Clean Air Force welcomes the tiny prince and will continue to fight for a clean, just and sustainable world for all our children. JOIN US.