Climate change affects us all

Over recent weeks and months there has been a lot of talk in the media about climate change and other environmental issues. It seems that people are finally sitting up and taking notice about what is happening to our planet, or rather, the damage we as a species are doing to this earth.

I could say, “what took you so long?” – some of us have been concerned about these issues for 30 years or so and have been talking about it and trying to raise awareness about the destruction of our rainforests, the polluting of our rivers and waterways,  the use of fossil fuels, the extinction of so many other species who share this world with us, the over fishing of our oceans, consumerism and so much more.

But I’m not going to, because those of us that have been campaigning for change all these years are so glad that you have finally woken up and are able to see that this earth is a fragile place and we all need to protect it and stop abusing it.

As a species, our individual time on this earth is limited to 70 or 80 years or so if we are lucky. A blink of the eye in the evolutionary terms of this planet but the consequences of our actions whilst we are here are immense.

As a child, the disposable nappies that we wear can out live us for decades – some estimates say a nappy takes around 500 years to decompose in landfill. By the way, do you know that a baby uses around 5000 disposable nappies in its first 2 years?

As we grow older the plastic toys we play with get broken and discarded and they too can take years to break down.

Then we learn to drive and travel around using petroleum products that pollute our air and cause us health problems. We try to be good and eat healthy but end up buying fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic that has flown half way around the world to satisfy our desire for strawberries at Christmas.

We take short haul flights to foreign destinations to soak up the sun and “see the world” – not realising that vast areas of land have been taken over to build luxury resorts and water tables in many parts of the world are running low meaning that local people are going without fresh water so rich tourists can have their swimming pools filled and their hot showers.

You would be surprised at the number of people who think global warming means warmer summers and more sunshine!!  

Yes, human-induced climate change does mean higher temperatures, but it also means heavy rainfall in some areas,  and drought and storms in other areas. Melting polar ice sheets at the North & South poles means rising sea levels which means that many low lying coastal areas around the world are at threat of disappearing.

The full impact of climate change will vary around the world but it is an issue that we can no longer ignore.

So if you have finally realised just how serious the issue is then I won’t say “what took you so long” but I will say “Thank you” because it is an issue that affects us all and only we can change things.

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