Thread by @jonswales77

People of Leeds @yorkshirepost @leedslivenews

I come bearing sad news

Unless things change direction in the next few years Leeds will face in the coming decades food shortages, mass suffering and societal collapse.

Let me try and explain.

1. The sobering truth is that we are living in a world of climate breakdown at 1.2 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures.

The science is clear. See the latest IPCC report. ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/ or watch Attenborough bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod…

In the words of @antonioguterres UN SecGeneral ‘We are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator’ and ‘We face a direct existential threat’.

Already the worlds most vulnerable are suffering due to extreme weather, drought, floods.

2. Sadly, we are on a trajectory for temperatures to increase significantly which means a world of mass starvation, mass migration and societal collapse.

This is our probable future .
Younger citizens of Leeds, children and grandchildren will bear the brunt of this suffering.

3. There is a possibility if we act in the next few years to avoid the collapse of the infrastructure of Leeds (think hospitals, schools, law and order) and also avoid increased levels of malnutrition by moving rapidly away from fossil fuels.

In the words of top science advisor Sir David King ‘What we do in the next 2-3 years will determine the future of humanity’

The latest IPCC report says ‘The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years’

4. Although I have used emotive language there is nothing that I have said above that is particularly controversial for those within the scientific community. This material will also have been shared at government levels.

However, I do not think that the average Leeds citizen is aware of how we, this generation, stand at the hinge of history and that we are getting close to a point where mass suffering for Leeds people is locked in.

This means we, the people of Leeds, are being failed, at a national and local level, by the media, politicians and cultural leadership.

5. In order to avoid the worst of what may be we need systemic and structural change. We need to talk about climate breakdown, take to the streets, demand change.

Recycling and cycling are not enough. We need to stop the expansion of the fossil fuel industry and cut ties with those who financially (eg. @Barclays and politically back them. )

(Join me and thousands of other for the #TheBigOne )

6. We also need to recognise that whatever happens an increase in suffering is locked in. We need to ADAPT with love and kindness to what will be and prepare for what likely will be.

We need to work together to form creative, resilient & localised communities that seek to imagine a new way of living. If we can’t imagine a different world then we will be unable to step into it.

We have a few years of relative stability to organise and prepare.

There are many in Leeds who are already thinking about these things and putting them into practise. eg. @LeedsClimateCom Keep Going

We stand at the hinge of history.

There are no guarantees that we will avoid mass suffering in Leeds,

But we can, for the sake of love, justice and compassion work together towards a liveable future .

For my own part I have been working with @CClimateAction and will be joining @XRebellionUK for #TheBigOne extinctionrebellion.uk/the-big-one/

However, alongside this I’m keen to join other in Leeds who are having similar thoughts and conversations.

Blessings, Jon