Becoming a climate junkie

STEVE GREEN

Having raised three amazing children, and now having two lovely grandchildren, it is inevitable that I want their world and environment to be at least as good as the one I have enjoyed since the late 40s… and hopefully far better.

Like many Kiwi’s I have been aware of ‘climate change’, ‘global warming’ and even the ‘ozone hole’ for many years, but never actually took it too seriously. Was it Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” that did it for me in 2006? No! Was it the remarkable Greta Thunberg protesting outside the Swedish Beehive in 2018? No!

I can tell you the exact date I became a climate junkie: Lunchtime on Friday, May 24 2019. I was in downtown Wellington, and heard an incredible sound coming along Lambton Quay – hundreds of college kids marching to protest climate change. I joined in, hoping that nobody would notice that I was 50 years older than the students.

They were truly passionate about the damage to our planet that my generation was causing, and were committed to believing that they and indeed all Kiwi’s shared the responsibility of turning around our negative impact on the climate. They were great; positive, determined, and brave to take time out from their studies to protest.

So, I made a promise to myself to study this subject. After buying tons of books, subscribing to global podcasts, reviewing many magazines, attending ‘zoomed’ webinars from all over the place, bookmarking great web sites, talking to lots of ‘experts’ my knowledge of this subject rapidly increased. In fact, if anything it has proven to be that there is simply far too much information out there, much of it readily accessible via the internet for free.

I need to confess my gratitude to the Focus for providing me this forum to engage with our community. I am neither political nor a scientist, so have made it my goal to communicate information and practical advice that is relevant to our community and ourselves.

So where to from here? Climate change is very topical now and changes are coming whether we like them or not, but one of the major discoveries is that climate change is actually a lifestyle problem. How each of us gets around, live at home, and what we eat represents the bulk of those naughty emissions being created. We are all creating these harmful emissions, and therefore we all have the scope to reduce them and reduce global emissions. Yes, the Government has much to do, but it’s mainly up to all of us to consider changes to our lifestyles over the coming years in order to make a difference, and tell our grandchildren that we ‘did our bit’.

Interested? Then please read my articles and consider my suggestions. You may not become a climate junkie, but may lead a better life and contribute positively to our community and world.

n Steve Green, Mangawhai’s ‘computer chap’, has been retired here for 12 years having previously lived and worked in London, New York and Auckland. He welcomes your feedback at theclimatechap@gmail.com if you have any climate questions, recommendations or concerns to raise.

Remembering the day I became a climate junkie. PHOTO/STEVE GREEN