I’ve been writing about the #ClimateEmergency as a journalist for over 15 years, here’s a ten things I’ve learned. A 🧵:
1) Buckle up. It’s going to a be a hard landing. We’re either going to get through this by the skin of our teeth or we’ll breach multiple tipping points, sending the world into one cataclysm after another. Civilization won’t collapse, but the lives of millions is on the line.
2)We had a window from the 1980s- early 2000s to save so much and so many. We didn’t take it. Lots of blame to go around, but a few factors stand out: Murdoch’s media empire, fossil fuel corporations' lies, and the global right going increasingly reactionary and extreme.
3) We further screwed ourselves with a culture willing to decimate the natural world for excess, throwaway consumer goods. Hopefully, that attitude will be one casualty of the climate emergency.
4) That said, there has been a remarkable transformation in the last 12 years. Wind and solar are now dirt cheap – and being deployed on a massive scale (though we need to make bigger, faster). EVs & heatpumps are mainstreaming. We can now say: the age of fossil fuels is ending.
5) The UNFCC get a lot of flack, but it's been vital in getting all the world’s nations to recognize the threat and most (with some notable exceptions) to begin rowing in the same direction. It’s kept 1.5 alive (as an idea) and now we have Loss & Damages.
6)As the climate gets rougher – and it really will – my biggest fear is that humans will descend even more into nativism and xenophobia and hate. Extreme politics could become even worse—and genocide could be the result. Or nuclear war.
7)It’s not just polar bears and pikas. Every species will be impacted. Some will benefit, but the vast majority will struggle. We need more conservation funding, protection, and local community support now.
8) With all this in mind, we really ought to put money and time into #GeoEngineering research. Ideas like stratospheric aerosol injection or ocean alkalinity enhancement could make the difference between really awful and fully fucking catastrophic.
9) What can you do? Don’t obsess over your personal, tiny carbon footprint. This isn’t about individuals – it’s a systems problem. Instead leverage your power: Vote. March. Protest. Run for local or wider govt. Build community resilience. Give us your many and varied talents.
10)Oh, but also give up red meat.
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