Don't be afraid of using you influence, something we all have

Early in the life of Beneath the Wisteria (it was established in December 2011) it became apparent that if nothing else, gathering and talking with like-minded people was morale boosting.

US President, Barack Obama.

To talk about climate change then, and that was just a few years ago, one could be ostracised, excluded from your circle of friends and without further discussion seemingly dumped into the “nutter” category.

However, since then, attitudes appear to have changed ever so subtly and although you may no longer be considered a “nutter”, it appears you are still lumped in with the “soft-radicals”.

Those of us concerned about the implications and complications of climate change continue to be ostracised, but not with the same virulence that once was.

The reality of human-induced climate change seems to be broadly accepted, but within that there appears to be an acceptance, understanding or is it belief, that the mankind is equal to what is the most significant challenge humanity has ever faced.

Maybe mankind does have the skills to negotiate its way around, over or through this difficulty, but it is doomed to a decidedly difficult future if it cannot abandon is present mindset and re-engineer totally it way of life.

Therein lays the trouble, for although many would like to act to preserve our civilization, we appear to be locked into a strange stasis in that we know what is needed, but want to keep what we have.

Nature, who speaks through storms, droughts and increasingly difficult weather events, is trying to tell us that our wants and needs are incompatible.

A Beneath the Wisteria supporter once said “it feels as if we a talking with ourselves” and the result was the “Slap Tomorrow – A Wake-Up Call” that took the climate change message far and wide, confronting many who had previously not considered the damage humanity was causing.

Another supporter only recently suggest something similar and argued for some sort of civil disobedience and although not considered (for the moment), each of us should take the climate change message and share it with family, friends, workmates and acquaintances.

An American friend acutely conscious of influence has long encouraged the exposition of one’s views and opinion for, as he says, you just never know who might take note of what you say or write and the person who feel your opinion has weight, he says, could be Barack Obama.

Accepting that view, all on the Beneath the Wisteria mail-out list, should spread the word for it is unlikely the “responsible men” will have the courage to address the mitigation of climate change and so it is up to us.