Harvey Green with his 2050 diary By Catherine Watson
ELEVEN-year-old Harvey Green set the scene for a recent climate change forum with a reading from his imaginary diary set in the year 2050.
He describes a world where the dams are empty, the tomatoes are cooking on the trees, Silverleaves is underwater and Inverloch is ablaze.
Harvey asked: “Will my world be too hot, flooded, drought stricken, full of fires and severe storms? Will the wonders of nature be long gone before my children are adults?”
Harvey’s reading was the opening act of the Bass Coast Climate Action Network’s (BCAN) first event, a showing of Accelerate, a film about climate action featuring 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and panel discussion.
ELEVEN-year-old Harvey Green set the scene for a recent climate change forum with a reading from his imaginary diary set in the year 2050.
He describes a world where the dams are empty, the tomatoes are cooking on the trees, Silverleaves is underwater and Inverloch is ablaze.
Harvey asked: “Will my world be too hot, flooded, drought stricken, full of fires and severe storms? Will the wonders of nature be long gone before my children are adults?”
Harvey’s reading was the opening act of the Bass Coast Climate Action Network’s (BCAN) first event, a showing of Accelerate, a film about climate action featuring 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and panel discussion.
McKibben had talked about the might of the wealthy, mighty corporations fighting to retain a coal-based economy, no matter the cost to the earth. “They are few but powerful; we are small but we are many!”
Some 50 people braved the ferocious weather to attend the event, at the Wonthaggi Baptist Church, and took solace from being in the company of others with similar concerns.
The panel was Mat Morgan, a young Inverloch songwriter and musician; Michael Whelan, a grandfather and Bass Coast councillor; Aileen Vening, a recently retired teacher and educator for the South Gippsland Conservation Society; Malcolm McKelvie, a four-times Greens candidate and president of Baw Baw Sustainability Network; and Erinn Harden, a local secondary student and climate activist.
A man in the audience spoke of his profound depression as he began to understand the speed of climate change and what it could mean for his children and grandchildren.
His story raised a wider question: how can you overcome the existential and moral paralysis brought about by such an overwhelming threat?
Several in the audience spoke of the importance of becoming part of a larger group rather than huddling at home feeling overwhelmed
“Plant a tree!,” someone said. “Plant lots of trees!”
Erinn Harden suggested the voting age should be lowered since younger people have the most to lose from climate inaction. She also thought everyone should have to sit a basic knowledge test before they were permitted to vote.
While it is easy to discuss climate action among friends with a similar interest and outlook, it can be a difficult subject to broach with those who are apathetic or hostile.
Mat recounted an episode when he met the mother of his then girlfriend for the first time. His girlfriend had warned him on no account to raise the subject of wind turbines as her mother was fearful of them.
“I still regret that I didn’t find a way to raise the subject,” Mat said.
Erinn said she took her fight for climate action to the online gaming sites largely populated by young men who were not interested in the
She said that although she copped plenty of online abuse, she had converted at least two gamers to the cause. She also claimed to have converted six Liberal voters to support the Greens.
Moragh McKay, chair of the Energy Innovation Co-op, said ordinary people could have an influence. “How many people here have accounts with the big banks?” she asked. Looking at the show of hands, she suggested they move their money away from banks that invest in fossil fuels.
“And don’t do it quietly,” someone added. “Let them know why you’re moving your money.”
Susan Davies, who co-founded the energy co-op 10 years ago as a community response to climate change, replied that the answer was to be found in action. The co-op now manages community renewable energy projects worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We rarely talk about climate change,” she said. “We talk about what we’re doing.”
Michael Whelan talked about the many council and community initiatives already underway in Bass Coast, from Totally Renewable Phillip Island and Grow Lightly local food initiative to the Energy Innovation Co-op and Plastic Bag Free Phillip Island.
As a Greens candidate in federal and state electorates, Malcolm McKelvie said he sometimes felt overwhelmed by the apathy of most people at the impending threat.
Again he brought it back to practical measures: “Think about how you vote. If you want to do something useful get out there and hand out for the Greens.”
The other point was to stop stressing over the things you can’t change. As Susan Davies reminded the audience, “You can’t save the world but you can make a difference in your part of it.”
Some 50 people braved the ferocious weather to attend the event, at the Wonthaggi Baptist Church, and took solace from being in the company of others with similar concerns.
The panel was Mat Morgan, a young Inverloch songwriter and musician; Michael Whelan, a grandfather and Bass Coast councillor; Aileen Vening, a recently retired teacher and educator for the South Gippsland Conservation Society; Malcolm McKelvie, a four-times Greens candidate and president of Baw Baw Sustainability Network; and Erinn Harden, a local secondary student and climate activist.
A man in the audience spoke of his profound depression as he began to understand the speed of climate change and what it could mean for his children and grandchildren.
His story raised a wider question: how can you overcome the existential and moral paralysis brought about by such an overwhelming threat?
Several in the audience spoke of the importance of becoming part of a larger group rather than huddling at home feeling overwhelmed
“Plant a tree!,” someone said. “Plant lots of trees!”
Erinn Harden suggested the voting age should be lowered since younger people have the most to lose from climate inaction. She also thought everyone should have to sit a basic knowledge test before they were permitted to vote.
While it is easy to discuss climate action among friends with a similar interest and outlook, it can be a difficult subject to broach with those who are apathetic or hostile.
Mat recounted an episode when he met the mother of his then girlfriend for the first time. His girlfriend had warned him on no account to raise the subject of wind turbines as her mother was fearful of them.
“I still regret that I didn’t find a way to raise the subject,” Mat said.
Erinn said she took her fight for climate action to the online gaming sites largely populated by young men who were not interested in the
She said that although she copped plenty of online abuse, she had converted at least two gamers to the cause. She also claimed to have converted six Liberal voters to support the Greens.
Moragh McKay, chair of the Energy Innovation Co-op, said ordinary people could have an influence. “How many people here have accounts with the big banks?” she asked. Looking at the show of hands, she suggested they move their money away from banks that invest in fossil fuels.
“And don’t do it quietly,” someone added. “Let them know why you’re moving your money.”
Susan Davies, who co-founded the energy co-op 10 years ago as a community response to climate change, replied that the answer was to be found in action. The co-op now manages community renewable energy projects worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We rarely talk about climate change,” she said. “We talk about what we’re doing.”
Michael Whelan talked about the many council and community initiatives already underway in Bass Coast, from Totally Renewable Phillip Island and Grow Lightly local food initiative to the Energy Innovation Co-op and Plastic Bag Free Phillip Island.
As a Greens candidate in federal and state electorates, Malcolm McKelvie said he sometimes felt overwhelmed by the apathy of most people at the impending threat.
Again he brought it back to practical measures: “Think about how you vote. If you want to do something useful get out there and hand out for the Greens.”
The other point was to stop stressing over the things you can’t change. As Susan Davies reminded the audience, “You can’t save the world but you can make a difference in your part of it.”