Ironically, I think our biggest issue isn't the code red call for humanity, but how few of humanity understand the position we are in.
It is said that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. And that is very much the case with climate change. It's not the climate deniers we have to worry about, it's the fact that 90% of the western population are blissfully ignorant of the position we are in. But most have heard something about it. So let's use that and ask our friends to try new, healthier, less wasteful things; grow herbs, gardens, put in solar. Whatever works.
While I was despairing about what next yesterday, I was sent two very different pieces of advice and it's so good, we have published it. Damon Gameau has developed a number of community networks, especially in regeneration after his 2040 film and his list is targeting citizens. David Ritter from Greenpeace is targeting citizens and businesses as Greenpeace are a long term ally to business and are lately taking big polluters to task with research and through the courts.
Look for actions that immediately gel with you. There are so many things everyone of us can do. Some cost money, most save it and many will also help your friends.
"Today is a huge day for our collective mission. As I’m sure you’ve seen, last night the IPCC’s ‘Working Group 1’ published its contribution on ‘The Physical Science Basis’ to the 6th Assessment Report. It is the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the state of the world’s climate.
Greenpeace is the only Australian environmental NGO to have official observer status to the IPCC, so certain staff have had access to an embargoed copy of the report and have read the findings. We already knew that there was a global climate crisis, but even so, the latest report is deeply confronting.
Severe climate damage is here and is rapidly getting worse. Unprecedented heatwaves and bushfires, heavy rains and floods, repeated marine heatwaves which are likely to cause mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, intense droughts and collapsing ecosystems, will all continue to intensify in the near term.
There is only a very slender pathway left to avoid 1.5 degrees of planetary warming. Every fraction of a degree is absolutely vital at this stage.
Given this, it is so important to remember that none of us are in this alone and now is a time for great kindness to ourselves and to each other. It is important for all of us to find some detachment from the scale of the crisis, because none of us can single-handedly bear the fate of the world on our own shoulders, and there is no comfort or virtue in being overwhelmed.
What we can do is the maximum that is within our power and influence to do, and that is what we are doing: our campaigns are designed to help achieve the goal of the greatest possible emissions reductions in the shortest possible period of time.
And here’s the thing: what we’re doing is working. And our duty in this moment is to maintain our focus.
Today’s news pulls no punches. But if it’s left you scrambling for a solution that shuts down as much carbon as quickly as humanly possible, then here’s the good news - You’re already part of it."
Damon Gameau's support message to citizens was published a video and list of what any citizen can, should, could do; on Instagram yesterday and it's simple, easy to do or ask others to do. Everything makes a difference:
"Plant a tree | Grow some food | Write to your MP demanding action | Drive less | Get solar | Compost food waste | Create new social norms by talking about this topic | Share your thoughts on social media | Buy organic foods | Buy less stuff | Teach your kids about the natural world
Write to your MP again | Start a seaweed farm | Move your money from any bank or super fund that invests in fossil fuels | Buy from Regenerative Agriculture farmers | Prioritize this subject when you vote | Tell people about the better word we can create if we take action | Get your kids school onto solar | Get your workplace onto solar | Don’t offset your emissions, ‘onset’ your emissions and give back twice the carbon that you used | Sign petitions to protect forests, wetlands and other ecosystems | Green your home or office with more plants | Understand the damage our current system is inflicting and advocate for a better one (starting with localization) | Switch your search engine to Ecosia
Write to your MP once more | Join a group to discuss this topic like ‘change for climate’ or ‘kitchen table conversations’ | Tell friends and family what is happening (with humanity and deep listening) | Avoid eating factory farmed, forest destroying meat | Send no food waste to landfill | Electrify your home (eliminate gas)
Be excited that you are alive in this moment to witness an extraordinary transition humanity will embark on in the coming decades | Don’t succumb to nihilism or doomsdayers. They are wrong. We got this.
Love deeply. Your friends, family and the living world."