Why I’ve Stopped Arguing About Climate Change

I do not argue climate change anymore. I stopped a couple of years ago – it is wasted energy on people who are not interested in true sustainable development.   It just does not make an ounce of sense to continue burning stored carbon to advance the species that is human kind. We expose ourselves to many vulnerabilities and compromise the security of future generations. Whether that is because of dwindling supplies or the effects of the burning is not the question – they are both relevant and they are both destructive.

The time for arguing is over. The time for action was 40 + years ago but we have useless governance controlled by the energy corporations and a massive mess to show for it.

I have 5 wonderful children from junior infants all the way to third year in college.  For the most part, from the moment our children are born we are teaching them how precious they are. Perhaps not always with words, but actions speak louder anyway. As they grow up they learn about the world around them, at home, in school, at Granny’s, Grandad’s, scouts, everywhere.

They get the facts in school. From early on they learn about conserving resources. They learn about how our energy use has changed the climate. How the industrial revolution has impacted on the world in many ways both positively and negatively. They are taught about nature, about its role in their development, human development, about the fact that we are completely dependent upon the environment that supports us and all life on the planet. The older they get the more informed they become. The primary school curriculum offers a good introduction and explanation of climate change. The second level Civic, Social and Political Education, CSPE, curriculum goes into greater detail and explores some of the obstacles to progress in combating climate change – the politics and economic blocks. Second level geography delves deeper into climate change and resource depletion gradually pointing the finger squarely at human activity as the greatest contributing factor. Much like the IPCC report published today.

They are taught that burning fossil fuels is damaging the planet’s atmosphere. That we need to reduce greenhouse gases. That many of our natural resources have dwindling supplies. That we are polluting our air, seas and land – their air, seas and land. That species are dying at an alarming rate. That the earth’s temperature is rising – something paracetamol won’t cure.

What are they learning? How to look after earth. That we need to cut carbon in order for the planet to heal itself. That emitting green house gases is wrong. That the actions of the past century have caused this accelerated climate change. That we have caused it.

What are they really learning? That even though we know it’s wrong we continue to do it. That we are not capable of cleaning up our own mess. That we do not take responsibility for our own actions. They learn that we are passing the buck – big time.

We expect that by teaching them the theory of earth stewardship the cycle of neglect will stop and they will somehow fix things? Our actions are speaking much louder than our words.  Hopefully people will sit up and listen to the IPCC report published this week and consider the consequences of their actions, or more importantly, inactions.

Theresa     29th September 2013