Summary: Twenty years ago I was oblivious to this reality and content with describing my work in the limited parlance of science. But now as a father concerned about the legacy we leave our children, this approach seems inadequate. As scientists, we need to illuminate how changes in our climate will affect the daily rhythms of people’s lives so they can prepare for an uncertain future. We need to appeal to emotion and a person’s sense of community and place. The cost of inaction, apathy and ignorance is simply too high to ignore.