Out of the mouths of babes…..
“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”
— Donald Trump
Last Wednesday I picked up my son from school. He climbed into the back of the car, strapping himself in as usual. Looking in the rear-view mirror, I saw an unusually furrowed brow staring back at me. Asking him if everything was ok, he replied….
“Dad, is it true that we have eight years to solve climate change before the world turns to a desert, we run out of freshwater, the polar bears have nowhere to live and we go extinct like the dinosaurs?”
An eye opener
Whilst I’m no parenting expert, I think most of you would agree this was a fairly intense question for a six-year-old. So much to unpick. As a parent I’m accustomed to fielding difficult questions from a young enquiring mind (my personal favourite being “Why can’t I see my eyes?”), but it was the seriousness of his voice that took me by surprise.
After some questioning, it transpired he had been discussing climate change in the playground with his best friend who, the night before, had watched David Attenborough’s A Life On Our Planet (for those yet to watch this I’d highly recommend taking the time). Having first reassured Jasper the world’s ecosystem was not about to collapse and that there are issues, but we have time to address them, I got to thinking about this exchange.
On the one hand I was impressed two six-year-olds have the awareness and interest to be discussing climate change. At the same time, I was saddened by their need to have this conversation at all.
After all, climate change is hardly a new phenomenon. For decades, scientists have increasingly made clear the impacts of burning fossil fuels on global warming. As far back as 1956 the New York Times published an article setting out the dangers of long-lasting environmental changes as a result of accumulating greenhouse gas emissions from energy production. Despite this article first appearing sixty-four years ago, only now do we appear to be entering an era where the impacts and risks of climate change are being accepted into mainstream consciousness. Hopefully, we are reaching a tipping point (nod to Malcolm Gladwell).
Following our leaders?
That being said, not everyone remains convinced by the call to action. With some irony, I noted on the same day that my six-year-old wanted to discuss the future of the planet that the U.S. became the first nation in the world to formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
Let me repeat that….. at the same time as two six years olds were discussing the need for action, the largest and richest democracy in the world withdrew from the most important agreement pushing the world towards a sustainable low carbon future. The mind boggles.
All is not lost
Before giving up hope and wringing our hands in despair, however, it’s worth noting not all governments are equal!
By turning its back on the Paris climate agreement, the U.S. is an outlier. Leaders of many of the world’s largest economies have followed through on their climate commitments. For example, China (responsible for 28% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions) recently committed to becoming “carbon neutral” before 2060, joining the European Union and many other countries in adopting mid-century climate targets in alignment with the Paris agreement. With potential changes in the U.S. political landscape on the horizon who knows, hopefully we will see the U.S. re-join the progressive club before long!
It’s also worth remembering that we’re not reliant solely on our governments, politicians or ‘big business’ to solve the climate crisis for us. The power for change also lies in our hands. As individuals and communities, we can take actions to drive meaningful change. When multiplied at scale these actions can make a difference. As the renowned conservationist Jane Goodall commented, “cumulatively small decisions, choices, actions, make a very big difference”.
Which brings me to the point…
To those of you still reading (thanks for sticking with me), the purpose of this post is to introduce you to what (I hope) will be a series of semi-regular blogs covering my reflections on the climate crisis and other critical sustainability challenges. I’m keen to explore and document how my understanding of these issues evolves, as well as to reflect on my own lifestyle and that of my family.
I plan for this to be a blog about ideas, but also actions. In many respects the only thing preventing our actions as individuals and communities are our inactions. Behavioural scientists refer to this as the intention-action gap — the difference between what people say they would like or plan to do and what they actually do. By documenting this journey I’m hopeful it will force me to address my own intention-action gap. It will hold me accountable to follow through on my ‘intentions’ (this is where I need you) and those of my family. I’m hopeful that by critically assessing our impact on the planet and people around us, we can bring about positive change for the climate crisis and other critical sustainability challenges. No topics will be off limits, so feel free to provide suggestions or comments. With a bit of luck, I might even be able to persuade Jasper and his friends to share more of their musings in the next post. Who knows what we might learn!
Until next time…..
Nick, Nov. 2020
