Generation F'd

Every generation needs a name. I was born at the tail end of Generation X. Kim Kardashian showed up in 1980 at the beginning Generation Y. And everyone born since 2001 is currently being called the iGeneration, Net Generation or Generation Z.But with our child, Swisher, on the way (Swisher - because that is the sound her awesome heart makes) I’d like to suggest a new name for the generation she’s increasingly likely to be born into:Generation F’dYep, you heard it here first. This describes the generation whose adult life on this planet will be characterized by the challenge of adapting to an environment that has been pushed to (and perhaps over) the brink. I wish the name weren't so cynical, but even with clear evidence of looming catastrophe, we seem pretty uninterested in reversing this trend.The New York Times reported just this week that global carbon emissions were at a record high in 2011 and are likely to reach that milestone again 2012. This means that the international goal of limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (widely considered to be the hot side of safe) is on the verge of becoming unattainable.And here at Farm School, we just learned that the USDA recently updated their plant hardiness zone map for the first time in 22 years, revealing that the old zones are now half a zone warmer and 18 of 34 cities on the map are already in brand new zones. And since I don’t want to grow palm trees on our farm (famines, droughts and wars over resources aside) I’m concerned.Ultimately, I have no answers about what to do about any of this. I went to farm school because it is the only thing I could think of to keep from giving in to the hopelessness of the current system. But maybe “Generation F’d” is catchy enough to create a conversation. In a world where the news of impending planetary doom gets less play than the Duchess of Cambridge's baby bump, maybe a little profanity will perk some ears about climate change.So get it out there, spread it, offend some new mothers. Who knows, maybe Swisher and Kate Middleton’s kid will lead a band of eco-warriors to get us back on the right track and one day make their moniker mean Generation Fixed instead.