Negotiating the intricacies
of climate change can be either stunningly simple or chillingly complex.
That contrast become clear as it crowded out the obvious
yesterday during the first of the “Conversations” in the “2015 Watershed Year:
Euroa Environmental Seminar Series”.
The variance in views about how we (humanity) should respond
to the differences erupting around the earth because of human induced climate
change is strangely disturbing.
Climate change has a rather disturbing momentum with the
climatic differences already in train being of a dimension that takes them
beyond “silver bullet” solutions.
Looked at broadly, climate change arrived after decades of
diligent effort by humans and so any plausible solution will be equally
complex, time consuming and socially difficult – the journey here was simply
hard work, it demanded innovation, tenacity and dedication, and bravery (often
misplaced as an even cursory glance at history, considered from where we are
now, will show) and so to retrace those steps, or at least find a way back to a
world that once was, will only be successful if we can unearth and apply similar
attributes.
The hard work, innovation, tenacity, dedication and bravery any
useful response to climate change demands was evident as more than 120 people
gathered in the old flour mill in Euroa’s Strickland Avenue for the first of a
year-long series of public discussions.
A decade of listening to similar discussions illustrates a
few things – the intent, the innovation and the ideas abound, but the
desperately needed sacrifice, commitment, energy and application that escape
from catastrophic climate change demands always appears, at least generally,
just out of reach.
Resolution of the dynamics of climate change is to be found
in engineering, economic and measureable practical ways, but the prime solution
is rooted in human social behaviour – we simply want and expect too much and so
put demands upon earth’s resources that far exceed its capacity to provide.
We revel in our beautifully complex lives and so have a
perverse allegiance to the inanimate and around and within that seem remote
from the understanding that our interest should be in people, rather than
machines, or things.
The energy that is evident at similar climate change events
was again on show in Euroa yesterday and with just a few exceptions the commitment,
dedication and desire to actual do something seems confined to the room – as
people dissipate so does the group intention to “do something”.
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| David Karoly - rock star-like applause at Euroa. |
Maybe, just maybe something will happen and there will be a
sufficiently large enough nucleus of committed and energetic people who will
keep the process alive.
Yesterday’s “conversation” was energized by a Professor of
Atmospheric Science in the University of Melbourne’s School of Earth Sciences, David
Karoly.
He articulated the extent of climate change and its implications
for the Strathbogie area (Euroa is in the Shire of Strathbogie), talked about
resolutions to the dilemma, answered specific questions, gave hope and was
thanked with a rock star-like applause.
Should the success of yesterday’s conversation point to what
is ahead, then the people of Euroa and the broader Goulburn Valley can
anticipate an inspiring and uplifting conversations through to November.
The March 21 conversation in Euroa is “Local Government and
Sustainability”, featuring Winsome McCaughey, Mike Hill, Lorna Pitt and Janet
Bolitho.
Details at the Strathbogie Voices website.
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