Posts
Mummy?
Yes...?
Where do polar bears live?
In the Arctic.
Is that with the penguins or Father Christmas?
I dodged that one rather neatly by saying that it wasn't the penguins, because they live in the Antarctic, but that I thought Father Christmas lived a little South of the actual Arctic Circle, so not actually near the polar bears either.
And as I was saying it I realised that there's more than a possibility that by the time I'm having to admit that Father Christmas doesn't actually exist, I'll be having to admit that nor do polar bears. Or not any more.
And I don't know how to stop it. I don't know how to make it better.
Because it is happening, isn't it? Is there anyone out there who really seriously thinks it isn't? I've hitherto been a bit head in the sand ('cos that's all that will be left in a few years time) about it all, but the news, last week, that the Arctic ice cap shrank 18% more than the previous record this year has really hit me. This means, says Professor Peter Wadhams (who he?) of Cambridge University (oh, right), that: "The final collapse ... is now happening and will probably be complete by 2015/16," with, to my mind, although not to the scientists', who spell it out in terrifying detail, unimaginably catastrophic results for the entire world.
But what Professor Pete doesn't tell us, what none of the scientists tell us, is what can we do? What do they do? I don't mean ending drilling for oil in the Arctic (although frankly that does seem a wise idea), or reducing China's carbon emissions. I can't, personally do either of those things. What can I, we, you, do?
Because I have this conversation in my head. It happens in about twenty years time, and it starts familiarly:
Mummy?
Yes?
You know when the scientists told you you were changing the world's climate irrevocably and it was going to result in global disaster?
Yes.
Why did you let it happen?
I'm selfish, you see. I can't bear the idea that my children will look at me, at us, in years to come and think we stood by and did nothing. That the end of the world started on our watch. But I honestly don't know what to do.
I don't drive other than when I have to (so yes, I walked my children to school in torrential rain and gale force winds this morning - provoking a tantrum when I said no umbrellas). I switch off lights in a doubtless infuriating sanctimonious fashion, normally when there are still people in the room. (Often B in the loo. He loves that). I take my own bags to the supermarket. I am adamantly not going to turn on the central heating until the end of October (the other end), despite the fact I had two hot water bottles in bed with me last night. I read the information about where food has come from and only buy in season. I reduce. I reuse. I recycle.
But none of it's enough, is it? So what should I do? Should I never take another flight? Should I vote green? (I don't think we even had a green candidate here last time) Should I join Friends of the Earth? Should I change my energy supplier? Should I take my entire family off grid? (Significantly easier said than done, obviously). Or is none of that enough either?
And if there's nothing I can do that'll ever be enough, how am I ever going to be able to explain it?
can a million little pebbles make a big enough ripple - I don't think they can. This is too big, its needs big guns. I'm looking to the Clinton climate change to start targeting the real offenders - the tons and tons of emissions. I think the whole 'If one company comes in below their emission allowance they can sell their offset to a 'dirty' company' just stinks. Turning your lights out isn't going to make a heap of change - you need to put pressure on the big guns, in fact the dollar in your pocket has more power in the careful spend away from the dirty companies than all the walsk in the rain will ever achieve : This is my probably uninformed opinion that appeases my drives to work and clean loo with bleach approach to life. I am not proud.
ReplyDeleteI think the spending power argument is a good one - but it still requires me knowing which are the "good" companies, and which the "bad"...
DeleteHey ho, internet here we come!
Alternatively you can tell anyone you know who uses a lot of energy, or wastes it unnecessarily, about companies like mine. We can make a very big difference in very a short time but we need the corporates and institutional landowners (who own the offices and shopping centres) to pull their fingers out. www.alpheon-energy.com. p.s. I am a university friend of Knackered Mothers Wine Club (Helen) and stumbled upon your blog while reading her's. Both very amusing, keep up the good work. Cheers, John
ReplyDeleteAha! A "good" company...
DeleteSadly I don't know anyone in a position to require your services (apart from the firm I work for - who are busily trumpeting how they've just gone fully green... which is clearly a good thing, although I don't know if it's with you or not, sorry!).
But you have got me thinking... who do I know... whose strings can I pull??
And thank you for visiting, by the way! (and to Helen for making the "introduction")
Great post and I wish had the answer. Living in Moscow, where they care far less about the environment than they should, this is top of mind. But there are 140+million Russians most of whom never even consider the impact of having the heating on full with the windows wide open.
ReplyDeleteCan't see it being head of Putin's next agenda, certainly....
DeleteWe're back to cutting China's (or in this case Russia's) carbon emissions again aren't we?
And when faced with that, it's awfully tempting just to give up...
I really wish I knew - I keep trying with the little things but it seems to make no difference
ReplyDeleteWe keep the house cold (no guilt there with Littler now having a chest infection), we grow our own, try and reduce and recycle and reuse (I've even got leather patches to go on Mr M's jumpers...) but it seems to make no difference which I guess is why so many people don't even seem to try
At least our children are being brought up to be more aware but sadly it may be too little too late
Poor littler. Hope she's better soon. If it's any consolation we've all got a stinking cold too, so you're not the only bad mother out there!
DeleteLooking forward to some pictures of the leather patches though...
I wish I had the answer. Until the big culprits are made to do something we are just in freefall and all we can do is keep shouting, keep doing our bit (even though it seems so pointless sometimes)and keep talking to our children about it so that, when they are grown, they know we did try even if we weren't heard and that they become the shouters and the doers and the talkers rather than the despairing. Long sentence, sorry.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's it. We do the little we can just so we can justify ourselves to our children.
DeleteSeems pretty poor though, doesn't it?
Who gets to kick the big culprits, that's what I want to know.
Both articles you linked are frightening. I know I do as much as I can. I think all that can be done is for people to do what they can do regardless of what others do and don't do and at least those people can say they tried and passed good habits and knowledge onto our children. Beyond that I don't know. The ones that do have the power to actually make some real and significant change really need to pull their fingers out. All their money won't do them much good if life on earth doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteAnd how do we get real and significant change?? Would voting green help? Or Friends of the Earth?
DeleteI don't know. I wish I did.
It's short sighted to look at global warming without looking at issues of overpopulation. So if I were you I'd sit your two youngest children down, look them in the eye and say "YOU are the reason the polar bears are dead and Father Christmas'house melted last year. You and mummy's voracious appetite for reproduction"
ReplyDeleteIf you were a regular reader of my blog, not only would you know I have already addressed precisely this issue, but also that nos 2 and 3 are twins. Which one do you suggest I pick?
DeleteI'd also hope that by the time you are old enough to enjoy the pensions and NHS their employment is funding you'll have learned the courage and courtesy to use your name when criticising other people's choices.
I always feel so guilty and depressed and powerless when I think about climate change, that I probably don't do it as much as I ought.
ReplyDeleteI am going to tell my youngest child that she is the reason the polar bears are dead. That will help. Clearly, if I hadn't had her, the polar bears would be safe.
No no. It's not your fault. If you hadn't had her AND I hadn't had two of mine (you may choose which) THEN the polar bears would be safe...
Delete