But is it here to stay?
Over the last few years I can’t even count the amount of times I have heard it is the hottest / driest / coldest / wettest summer/ winter (delete as appropriate) since records began. The latest spike of sink holes appearing – 3 times as average per year appearing in one month, I mean, I am no scientist, no meteorologist, no geologist or politician with a vested interest, but something weird is going on?
Ever since I was a teen back in the late 1980s, I have worried about the impending doom of climate change. Many people scoffed at me, as I showed my fear and tried to make efforts to be greener. How I was laughed at for buying cloth nappies when my first child was born … I am no greenie, but I’ve always tried to try, just a little bit, to be greener.
As I have remonstrated with friends who have heating on whacked up in winter while they walk around with tee shirts on, or people who insist on a 4×4, mainly to scuttle the 200 metres to school, again I have met an awful lot of apathy: Oh, well I am sure my little bit won’t change anything will it?
Seeing the ravages of the storms this month – I want to be greener: No more laziness on the school run, it is only a 15 minute walk, and whereas sometimes we do drive home as we are going on to other activities, there are plenty of times we can walk or cycle instead. We can compost more; we can collect water in water butts, keep the heating to a minimum and make sure all lights are off when we are not using them. My long standing battle with my husband who won’t take a shopping bag to work with him in his laptop bag for bread and milk runs on the way home will be won. In one year, he must bring home in excess of 50 plastic bags that is needless.
Imagine if we all did these little changes? What messages would we be sending to the government? Yes, we don’t know if this is climate change, if it is here to stay or indeed if it is manmade. Well, while they dither we could be showing that IF it is the case, we want to change and we want precautions to help limit the damage that climate change could do – we are fighting it on all fronts.
Maybe then, I won’t be so petrified of my children’s and grandchildren’s future.
Who’s with me on earth hour on 29th March – LIGHTS OFF!
