So we are faced with the prospect of sea level rise — which could be rapid and keep on going up, together with most of the world heating up while perhaps Northern Europe is plunged into another “Little Ice Age”. It has happened before and this time everything is happening much faster than previous changes.
What is so frustrating is that we know what to do to slow down and hopefully reverse these changes, but we are so wedded to lives based on fossil fuels that we are not willing to do what needs to be done soon enough.
Scientists have been warning of the dangers of climate change since at least the 1980s but governments have not been brave enough to tell people the truth. Now at last some governments are starting to make real changes, when it is almost too late.
Still, they are not moving fast enough.
Emissions started accelerating up again in 2017 after a couple of years without increases. We are told that unless emissions plateau by 2020 and start reducing quickly, temperatures will continue to rise to dangerous levels. Even then it will be decades before any reduction is seen.
We have the technology to power our country and our vehicles with renewable energy, and the country will be cleaner and healthier once we do it. New Zealand has a much easier road to zero carbon emissions than most because of our abundant hydro, wind and geothermal energy resources. So why are we putting the welfare and possibly the lives of our children and grandchildren at risk?
In the words of Jacinda Ardern, “Let’s do this!”
