Occupy for Climate! May 25-27.

If not now when?

Hello. 

I hope you are interested in joining or somehow supporting this Climate Action in Melbourne (Occupy for Climate! May 25-27… More info here..). Currently, only 250 people are signed up and the target to enable the event to occur is at least 1,000.

Most of us are aware of the science and the huge impacts of climate change. Also, that that our collective global governments are acting without the necessary urgency. As the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has recently said, “we are heading towards the cliff with our foot still on the accelerator”. “We need disruption to end the destruction”.

On a personal level, I simply can’t sit back and watch whilst front-line activists devote a vast proportion of their energy and time towards saving our planet from ecological and societal collapse. If there were more people taking direct and serious climate action, then people at the pointy end of the movement, would not need to take such extreme risks.

My son, for one, was recently extremely close to losing his life in pursuit of highlighting the obvious climate catastrophe that is unfolding before our eyes. But rather than receive an award for such a self-less action, he was jailed, he was bashed and he is constantly tracked and harassed by police…. and THEY are directed by our governments.

Photo- Climate Activist on Ship Loading crane, after narrowly avoiding a 60m fall 

Unfortunately, our democratic system is not going to drive the urgent and necessary cuts in carbon emissions; without it being dragged by blatant and disruptive direct action. One hundred years plus of oscillation between Labor and Liberal/National governments has got us to this totally non-sustainable point. We cannot rely on political parties who support and maintain strong financial links to the fossil fuel industry and constantly spout the need for continuous economic growth. They are a very serious and central part of the problem.

I really don’t care whether my extended family and friends have been rusted on Labor (or other) for several generations. I want my extended family (and others!) to continue to survive for many, many more generations. But science is clearly telling us that we are at grave risk of failing on that level.

My father, a university science professor, used to often talk about the scientific ‘precautionary principal’. We don’t need anything like 100% proof in order to take drastic action where consequences are potentially catastrophic. Would you get on an aeroplane if there was a 5% chance of it crashing?’ The risk of run-away catastrophic climate change is now magnitudes higher than 5%. In the relatively short-term, there is a real risk of climate-induced global societal breakdown. And just beyond the near future, there is a frighteningly high chance of a fatal crash for our entire planetary ecosystem. 

This is not scare mongering or unjustified party-political bashing. Unfortunately, this is the reality. Please join me and ask everyone you know to take part in the upcoming action in Melbourne. If not now…..when?  At this point, I feel there are very few excuses for not being seriously involved in climate action.  Please read and share the details on the upcoming event.

Tim O’Donnell – East Gippsland, Gunaikurnai Land.

May 25-27th Melboune – Register on Facebook @ https://fb.me/e/1hZlzegSv