Here's a fantastic vid about the politics behind climate inaction in Australia. I didn't write it, only narrated, but I really hope you watch it all, regardless of political affiliation. After you've watched, here's a wee thread, designed to try to stave off angry trolls😳1/10
No, we're not saying that our government is solely responsible for climate change! It goes without saying that even if Australia had been carbon neutral for 100 yrs, assuming the output of all other nations was unaltered, we'd still be facing this crisis. Understood. 2/10
Climate change is the fault of GLOBAL inaction over decades. But! We Aussies are among the WORST emitters in the developed world (per capita). And the graph is heading in the wrong direction: we're getting worse while other developed nations improve. It's shameful. 3/10
Australia's massive wealth comes from pulling fossil fuels from the earth. And because of this, we are both economically capable and (I reckon) *ethically obliged* to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change... especially given how badly WE will be affected. 4/10
Climate change WILL increase the length & severity of our bushfire season, perhaps forever. This - among many other both selfish & selfless reasons - is why we should be leading the charge, shouting as loud as we can to the world, "JOIN US! LET'S BLOODY DO THIS!" 5/10
Instead, due to the sort of stuff this video addresses (short-sighted economics / fossil fuel lobbyists with big wallets / scientifically illiterate leaders), we are blowing it. We Aussies like to think we punch above our weight, but in this we're not even in the fkn ring. 6/10
And before you say "I saw you driving a car! What a hypocrite!" Man, you've no idea. My personal carbon footprint is bloody sickening. I am worse than nearly everyone reading this thread. I fly a LOT. And I still eat meat. And I have aircon. I suck. 7/10
But, personal failure fully acknowledged, it is a fact that the only way to stop humans burning fossil fuels is a MASSIVE, global commitment to altering how we generate energy (among other things). 8/10
And I reckon Australia - this amazing country with all its wealth, its hard-working, educated population, and its potentially catastrophic vulnerability to climate change - should be leading the way. It's cowardly & inaccurate to claim we are too small to have an impact. 9/10
(PS. I want to acknowledge that the land we dig our coal out of is stolen, & our failure to manage our stolen land is partly due to the fact that for 250 years we've been ignoring the people who managed it beautifully for 100,000 years. 10/10) Please keep comments civil. Ta.
