It’s not often you see NHL players taking to social media to share their opinions on political issues, but Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews hasn’t shied away from the discussion surrounding climate change.
Following the announcement on Thursday by President Donald Trump that the United States will pull out of the Paris climate agreement, which includes all but three countries in the world, Toews posted on Instagram about wanting to keep the discourse about our environment going.
Here’s the complete text if you can’t read the embedded post:
Do you believe in climate change? Whether you’re super pumped that we are putting ‘Americans first’ or you are absolutely outraged at the idea that we are taking yet another step backwards in dealing with a major global problem, the only way to solve this argument is to try and set your own agenda aside and see how this affects everybody. The only lie we tell ourselves is that we are more special than other life forms on the planet. Well, we’re not. Even if we weren’t responsible for any major climate catastrophes heading our way, shouldn’t we still do our part to preserve what we have left? The same way that we shouldn’t wait till our bodies break down completely to start doing the right things to stay healthy, let’s not wait till it’s too late to do something. I am not saying I am perfectly ‘green,’ but the first step is to keep an open mind and try to learn what you don’t already know.
My man.
Toews has been outspoken about climate change in the past, including tweeting praise for Leonardo DiCaprio’s efforts to contribute to the cause. At the time, he said it was “sad that it’s still a debate in this country.”
Where it’s not really a debate is in the scientific community. “Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position,” according to the official NASA website on the climate.
The Paris agreement is non-binding and was designed to promote voluntary action by the countries involved, so the decision to leave it is primarily a political showing. But putting politics aside, there are few things more important than sustaining the planet we have.
On the ice, Toews has always commanded respect as a leader and good sportsman. Off it, he’s proving to be one of the few top NHL stars willing to use his platform to tackle a topic like climate change.
There are a lot of reasons to be proud that Toews represents Chicago. His willingness to speak his mind on something he cares about is high up on that list.