The title says it all: California is permanently on fire, island nations are being submerged, and New York restaurants are heating the outdoors.

Here is a restaurant around the corner from me. If you can’t tell, the red glow comes from the glowing heaters above the tables. Restaurants got to use public property for the pandemic, but you’ll notice no one wearing masks because it’s over. This space outside is about the size of the restaurant’s indoor space, meaning they got to double their space for free while the public lost its space.

But the big slap in the face is that they are heating the outdoors, burning fossil fuels like there’s no tomorrow, a situation they are helping hasten.

In all fairness, all the pollution the heaters cause is dwarfed by a few moments of a jet operating, even before it leaves the gate, just sitting on the ground. But this use is so pointless, it’s like we’re on a ship, heading toward an iceberg and we decide to speed up.

How did we come to disregard how we affect other people (and wildlife) so much that we don’t mind destroying what sustains life in favor of fleeting not-even pleasure? When did we become so entitled?

Here’s another angle:

• ← Trying to lead on sustainability with trying to live sustainably is like trying to play piano without practicing
• “Sanitation Department” is a misnomer. →