People often say that hope is important as motivation to address the climate crisis. But I have something to admit: I have a tenuous relationship with hope. I don’t even like the word. It seems so passive, like wishful thinking. Like, “I hope that works out.” Or, “I hope someone does something about that.” And that vibe certainly isn’t going to get us anywhere. My aversion has been solidified by being asked, ad nauseam, What makes you hopeful? How do you stay optimistic? That always snags me because I am neither. I’m a scientist; I’m a realist. I immediately think: Fuck hope. Where’s the strategy? What are we going to do so that we don’t need hope? It took me far too long to realize that what people were really asking was “Can you please give me hope? I need some.” And that version of the question, that vulnerable and true version, that “Tell me how you, how I, can keep going” version, I totally get. We, those of us trying to turn things around, are not robots.…