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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The time is now.

April 2019 will be remembered, hopefully, as the time that environmental issues and climate change really started to be taken seriously by many ordinary people.

Extinction Rebellion started in 2018 but really hit the headlines in April 2019 when thousands of people occupied parts of London in peaceful protest about climate change, loss of biodiversity, the risk of human extinction and the collapse of our fragile ecosystem.

Protests also happened around the world in places like Melbourne, Adelaide & Sydney in Australia and across Europe in places like Berlin, Brussels, Madrid & Lausanne.

The events in London lasted 11 days and by the end of the protests 1,130 people from all walks of life and all ages had been arrested. The police presence was large and heavy handed but the protests were non-violent and relatively peaceful.

The scale of protests shows the depth of feeling that is circulating amongst ordinary people about the issues that are facing us as a species. Many of the people who took part in the protests are not environmental activists but ordinary people – men, women and children of all walks of life who want change.

And change needs to happen soon. For far too long we have ignored the cries from our planet – ice sheets melting at an alarming rate; sea levels rising; global warming; the destruction of our rainforests; the poisoning of our rivers and lakes; and ultimately our own demise.

The youth of the world are having their future decimated by those who are in power and they are finally rising up and saying that enough is enough. They are no longer prepared to stand by and watch our planet be destroyed for profit as global corporate capitalism continues to drive the international economy.

There have always been people who have spoken out about the destruction of our planet; people like David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, George Monbiot and many more and another we can add to the list is a 16 year old Swedish schoolgirl called Greta Thunberg. She has travelled the world over recent months and spoken with politicians here in UK and also at the United Nations. She has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Why has it taken a 16 year old to wake people up to the fact that climate change is a major problem and we have very little time left to change things? Those who try to discredit her are resorting to vicious personal attacks but in the end they know they are losing the argument.

There will always be climate change deniers but in the end they will be proved to have been wrong. They are finally running scared because they know that the tide is turning against them and people all around the world are finally waking up to the issues that face all of this that live on this planet.

 Climate change can no longer be ignored. It is time to listen to those who have been talking about this issue for many years and it is also time to listen to those who will be most affected by what happens.

 I joined Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace in the 70's as a teeneage and sent letters (this was before the internet) and campaign postcards asking people to change laws and save our planet. The big thing then was "Save the Whales" and trying to get a ban on whale fishing. 

I think David Attenborough and his wonderful programmes have a lot to do with people finally waking up to what we are loosing and have already lost. 

I hope that Greta Thunberg and others from the younger generation finally achieve the changes that need to happen in order for our planet to survive the onslaught of destruction we are causing.