There are small questions like which is the next restaurant I must try. There are greater questions like will my salary last till the end of the month. Will I have a job next month? Who will win the next election? Will Daphne’s killers get what they deserve? Where is the next terrorist attack going to strike? Will Europe’s economy live down the damage from Covid?
Every question is relative. The greater the question, the further the answer is from our ability to determine and control.
So here’s the question we should all be asking. Will our world be habitable for people born in our lifetimes?
The climate crisis should be taking up more of our thinking time. I’m not suggesting we stop thinking about how we’re going to earn a living, let alone how to make sure we live in a democracy where the law rules.
But please support the Global Climate Strike this Saturday organised in Malta by Extinction Rebellion and supported by many organisations. Try to find a way of showing decision makers you care, you’re concerned, and you’re willing to make choices, even political choices, on the basis of what our leaders are prepared to do or not to do about the biggest question facing our species in centuries, perhaps since the last ice age.
Here’s a summary of what protesters are demanding for Malta. You should be asking from your rooftop before it’s too hot or too flooded for your children to stand on it.
Make this claim yours. Rise up or face extinction.
Rapid Decarbonisation: full decarbonisation by 2030 The science is clear. NGOs, academics, and experts have already outlined how rapid decarbonisation would be achieved. What is currently lacking is the political will to enact this.
Reversal of Biodiversity Loss The IPCC and IPBES have made it clear that the climate and ecological crises need to be tackled together. So far, many environmental interventions by the government have been either inappropriate or remain utterly insignificant.
An end to ‘business as usual’ and Shift to a Wellbeing Economy We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. Our current economic and political systems are set up neither to protect the environment nor to safeguard our collective well-being.
Promoting Sustainable Mobility and Moving Away from Car Dependency There is an unequivocal need to shift away from a car-dependent transport strategy. All new road projects should be immediately dropped with the focus directed towards improving cycling and public transport infrastructure, and pedestrianisation.
Solidarity with Most Affected Peoples and Areas In the same way that not everyone contributed equally to the climate and ecological crisis, not everyone will be affected by it in the same way. Climate justice must be accompanied by social justice, otherwise it would not be worth pursuing.
A Citizens Assembly on Climate Citizens’ Assemblies tackle issues which politicians are unwilling or afraid to confront. Citizens’ Assemblies bring together people from all walks of life to investigate, discuss, recommend, and create legislation. This would constitute a much-needed exercise in democratisation.
