The London Letters on Climate Change

The London Letters on Climate Change

Doomed to a desert planet … Not yet.

“We’re going to end up living on a desert planet, with no food, forced to eat each other.” My friend’s particularly gruesome & desolate prediction for humanity brought a premature end to my lunch. We debated the moral implications of cannibalism and meat eating in general before resuming discussion on the initial source of my friend’s despair, a news article he had read earlier that day about the potential effects of climate change.

The article offered differing scientific viewpoints on the effects of climate change. There was consensus on the potential adverse affects of climate change, more extreme weather, floods, droughts, damage to the agriculture industry, and loss of clean water supplies, among others. The main cause for debate was predicting how much time we have left before the damage is irreparable.

Although the challenges posed by climate change appear to be receiving more media coverage and the public are increasingly concerned, there appears to be insufficient measurable action being taken to address the problem, by our government representatives or the public at large.

My friend’s bleak pronouncement is that the general public are locked into a destructive pattern and our government representatives operate in a realm isolated from the people they represent. I don’t agree with either viewpoint.

I am working with my local Friends of the Earth group on a project that is part of a larger campaign to tackle climate change. We are asking all London MPs to sign an open letter, indicating their support for setting actual targets to cut carbon emissions. With a positive indication from our MPs that they are committed to taking action, the next step is to invite the public to start making small changes in their behaviour that will have a cumulative significant impact.

We are creatures of habit, certainly, but people are also adaptable. The only question with regard to climate change is whether we will choose to adapt, taking the necessary measures to preserve our way of life, or whether we will continue as we are, allowing global warming to transform our world into an inhospitable environment, at which point we will be forced to adapt.

With regard to our government, the political machine may sometimes seem far removed from the people they represent, but this isn’t the case. The national debates we see played out on our television screens are influenced by people on the ground. We took the first step in our project, talking to an MP at their regular advice surgery. The result was more positive than we had dared to hope. The MP mentioned that an ever-increasing number people have been in contact by letter or in person to express their concern about the problems posed by climate change. (A small team at the constituency office ensure that every letter received is given attention). Our request to sign the open letter was welcomed as a potential opportunity to inform the public that their concern is being taken seriously.

Right now, climate change may seem like a remote threat, a lesser concern in the list of social issues like education or health. But the planet is not waiting for us to resolve our debates on other social concerns before the problematic cycle we have set in motion affects us negatively. The effects of climate change are starting to be felt now, and we have to act now.

Tackling climate change may seem daunting – enough to make you throw your hands up in despair. We can’t change the world overnight, but we can and must start tackling the problem one small step at a time.

My friend was not entirely convinced – but he is hopeful and that’s a start. He is ordering his recycling box from the council and purchasing energy-efficient light bulbs, while our Friends of The Earth community group is planning to approach another MP … one small step at a time.