Here's my pick of the media the day after the fifth international panel report, followed by some thoughts on our next steps:
Our new citizen funded climate council report
Scientific American on what the IPCC and the report
Six big charts to understand the science from climate central
62 years of warming in one minute video
George Monbiot Column on climate breakdown
SMH editorial: What might our grand kids think of us?
How hot will it get in my lifetime? Plug in your birthdate and find out
Interactive on the top 11 indicators of a warming world
NASA climate projections video: what the world will look like in 2099
The carbon budget: IPCC says 90% of fossil fuels must stay in the ground
Ok, so you've read this far. Welcome to a different world view. The question is, what to do? We changed all the lightbulbs years ago. Well, Margaret Mead once reminded us that it's not a good idea to rely on governments to fix any problem for us. I suggest we should all try action in three areas:
1. Do it Yourself: Create an ecologically sustainable life. Give yourself ten years. Could you then decarbonise your life by 2030? Or put another way, how are you going to ditch coal, oil and gas from your life by 2030? Think about your home, your transport, your food, the stuff you buy and where your super/shares. Read, learn, try, think, fail, discuss, converse, retry and enjoy the challenge.
2. Engage Community: build a social movement in your workplace, your community and your street. Join or set up a local sustainability group. Talk over tea, run events, inspire others, plant a communal fruit tree and set up a tool swapping, car sharing, native gardening, bike fleeting, energy efficiency inspiring, solar powered adventure - together.
3. Participate - turn off the tv and get active: write letters, join councils, go to urban planning forums, set up campaigns, ring the radio and help change democracy.
So, what are you waiting for? Whatever you do, don't waste time and energy arguing. As Buckminster Fuller once said: Want to replace an old way of thinking? Build the new model and make the old one obsolete.
