ISSUE 43SPRING 2019
It wasn’t hard to grasp the magnitude of the climate crisis after listening to former
US Vice President Al Gore during the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training
event, which I was lucky to be part of in Brisbane recently. Near the end of the
two-and-a-half hour talk that was fi lled with more than 600 slides relentlessly
depicting the devastating eff ects climate change has had on the world, Mr Gore’s
voice had reached fever pitch. He brought home the inconvenient truth that we’re
heading for a global catastrophe if we continue with business as usual. There’s
no easy way to say it; we’ve tiptoed around this issue for far too long and now the
elephant in the room is dancing on the dining table with tambourines taped to his
toes while trumpeting through a megaphone. So why is it that so many of us still
can’t, or won’t, listen?
We all know the UN-founded Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change esti-
mates we have around 11 years to limit average warming temperatures to 1.
degrees if we want any chance of this crisis not becoming a catastrophe. This
temperature increase is the point that natural systems begin to cross dangerous
points of no return, triggering lasting changes and transforming life as we know it.
Many councils, cities and countries around the world have now declared a climate
emergency (888 at the time of writing), including the UK, Canada, Portugal, Auck-
land, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Noosa. The challenge of climate justice
is rising like the sea levels; while the eff ects are already being felt in our own back-
yard, many nations and vulnerable communities who share the least responsibility
are facing the highest risks. It’s an environmental, social and political issue, but
above all, it’s a human rights issue.
I understand where Al Gore is coming from, because I want to shout about it too.
This is not a drill – this is the real deal. And, quite frankly, it’s terrifying: eco anxi-
ety is understandably becoming a modern-day dilemma, with the prospect of the
potential loss of our environment, our food supplies, our communities – and our
lives – a heavy load to bear.
But we don’t need to hold the weight of the world on our shoulders by ourselves.
Yes individual actions matter – let’s be clear – but blame and shame won’t get
us over the line. Personal responsibility is crucial, but the canary (or should that
be fi nch?) in the coal mine really is... exactly that. Burning fossil fuels is the chief
off ender by far when it comes to CO2 emissions, mainly from energy production,
transportation and industry. Agriculture is next, and fashion also has its own piece
of the carbon pie, coming in at around fi ve percent of the global total (which,
shockingly, is more than aviation). But the way I see it, us navigating our world
is essentially like a kid in a candy store who’s been told he’s not allowed to eat
anything: our whole systems have been set up on the back of non-renewables.
Our systems need to change. Moving to renewable energy sources needs to be
our number one priority, along with creating a just transition for those working in
the fossil fuel industry. And here’s the plot twist – the capability to change how
this story goes has already been written for us; the technologies we need already
exist. Earth: The Sequel can be bigger, bolder and more beautiful than the original.
While our federal leaders may be letting us down in standing up for a low-carbon
future, it’s important to know that others are just getting on with it. Innovative
companies are powering forward with low- or no-emission technologies, many
local and state governments are tackling the crisis head-on, many banks are with-
drawing fi nance for fossil fuels, renewables are now surpassing coal in aff ordabil-
ity (and employment) and individuals are making eff ective change regardless. It’s
not a time to be despondent; it’s a time of great hope. Listening to that elephant
may evoke despair and grief and uncomfortable truths, but among that is also the
beautiful sound of selfl essness, resilience, humanity and the call to rise – together.
At the end of Al Gore’s fi ery presentation, he quoted a poignant passage from a
poem by American modernist poet Wallace Stevens: After the fi nal no there comes
a yes. And on that yes the future world depends.
Kell ey XXX
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S LETTER
”
“
It’s not a time to be
despondent; it’s a
time of great hope