Cribb alerts us to 'The greatest human impact of all'

Julian Cribb is a thoughtful and innovative thinker who first warned us about the emerging global food crisis in his 2011 book “The Coming Famine”.

Julian Cribb.

Cribb, who spoke in Shepparton last year, is now warning us about our addiction to chemicals; chemicals that threaten to end all life on earth.

He has written about our pervasive and dangerous use of chemicals in a piece headed: “The greatest human impact of all” in “On Line Opinion”.

He argues: “Testing shows that almost every individual is now a walking contaminated site”.

Cribb concludes: “Chemicals are valuable and extremely useful things. They do great good, save many lives and much money. But all this may be for nothing if the current uncontrolled, unregulated and unconscionable mass release and planetary saturation continues. Most people know it is not a good idea to foul the place we live: that lesson must now be applied in the case of these invisible substances, before universal and irreversible harm accrues to life on Earth.”

Julian Cribb, Sandy and 'A gaping wound in democracy'

Julian Cribb.

Julian Cribb has forthrightly said exactly what need to be acknowledged about America’s recent super-storm, “Sandy”.

Cribb, a science communicator and author of ‘The Coming Famine: the global food crisis and what we can do to avoid it’ and who has spoken in the Goulburn Valley, writing on ‘Online Opinion’ argues that an emerging victim of Sandy is democracy and free speech.

Writing in a story headed: “A gaping wound in democracy”, Cribb said many public figures had ignored the real cause of “Sandy”, such events that are coming with increasing fury.

Cribb shares his optimism

Julian Cribb has shared his optimism with the Goulburn Valley.

The acclaimed science communicator was brought to the area by Landcare Goulburn Broken and spoke to about 60 at Tatura’s Department of Primary Industry on Thursday, August 30, about 30 people that evening at Shepparton’s Hotel Australia and some 120 at Trawool on Friday, August 31.

Julian Cribb.

Cribb, an articulate fellow who well understands dilemmas the world faces with shortages or every kind and the collision of “peaks”, including food, oil, earth and water was not reluctant to discuss the downside of those difficulties as he was seriously optimistic about the opportunities those changes brought.

Those emerging differences, worsened in every sense by the world’s changing climate, filled the first part of his address, but then he shifted emphasis, looking with enthusiasm at the positives that await all able to see beyond those changes and understand the possible profits.

Particularly, he pointed out for farmers, whom he saw as the true caretakers, unpaid, of the land, that rich opportunities awaited those who were innovative and prepared to change.

Cribb’s boosterism brought on a sense of “yes we can” enthusiasm, but optimism quickly eroded, at least for me, once I considered the tight that corporations have on the world’s economy and the how the changes Cribb proposed threaten their superiority.

The fossil fuel companies see their survival linked intimately with business as usual and it seems their grip on society will not loosen until there is nothing left to hold.

Ideas proposed by Cribb warrant applause, but little hand clapping will be heard until courageous and charismatic leaders emerge to help us understand that the food security Cribb so worries about is not about rude profit rather the simple survival of most people.

The short-termism of most people, their governments and the corporations they have constructed equates with doom.