Dragon Slaying

A CALL TO ARMS

In the good old days, kings and queens ruled with absolute power and an iron fist. If there was a dragon to be slayed you just put a bounty on its head and sent in your best knights. Dissenters were beheaded.

In these enlightened times, democracies strive to navigate a balanced and negotiated path that gives all interests a little of what they need. It’s equitable and often works quite well. But striving for appeasement and the middle ground can go wrong. Just ask Europe in 1939.

My father, a scientist, once observed that you have to have a disaster before there is political will to do something about it. Often the science is there, but the political will isn’t. Ask the survivors of hurricane Katrina or Black Saturday how they feel about lack of political will. If the science of global warming is right, we can’t afford to wait for the disaster, and we can’t afford to appease the sceptics.

Some risks have low probability but are devastating should they occur. The science of climate change forecasts a global catastrophe in the absence of radical intervention. If you are a climate sceptic, can you afford to ignore the possibility (however slight) that you are wrong?

Many governments recognise climate science and are trying to legislate against sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The work is slow because vested interests are lobbying resolutely against reform, as they did for cigarettes and asbestos. Should these voices be appeased with handouts?

Governments will form part of the answer, but continue to struggle under the burden of the democratic process. The rest of us can’t afford to wait for disaster. Our climate problems are the sum of individual human activity on Earth, not of governments. The issues are lifestyle choices and conscience. Individuals have a moral imperative to limit their continued impact on climate for the sake of the planet’s biomass; humans, plants and animals alike.

If the climate scientists are wrong, the worst that will happen is that the world will transition to renewable energy sources at a time when oil is running out anyway. If the climate sceptics are wrong, the world’s environment and economies will be devastated.

This is a call to arms to slay dragons. Take ownership of your carbon footprint by learning how to minimise it.