What did you do in the war, grandad?
Sunday is Remembrance Day, when we pause to remember the generations of young soldiers who went away to war to fight for the freedoms we enjoy today, many of them paying with their lives.
Those of us young(ish) adults no longer have the threat of world (or even local) war upon us. Soldiers going to war now choose to do so, rather than being compelled to do so.
No, we have another war to fight for the sake of future generations.
Last night’s Difference Of Opinion talked climate change. Yesterday’s Turnbull vs Garrett debate talked climate change. Most are coming around to the view that it’s a big issue, and that action needs to be taken to reduce emissions, starting now. But Howard is still clearly prioritising economic growth, and trying to push myths like clean coal.
On Difference of Opinion, one person said that we were going to have to think long and hard about what we were going to tell our grandchildren when they asked: why did we stand by and do nothing?
This is our war, and it’s upon us now. If we lose, the worst case scenario is a planet uninhabitable for humans.
Our political leaders make noises, but their actions speak volumes. If the major parties want to see emissions reductions, why on earth are they pledging billions upon billions of dollars in road spending around the country?
Sunday is Remembrance Day, but it is also the day of Walk Against Warming around Australia, to remind our politicians that climate change does matter to us voters.
Climate Change is our war. I’ll be marching.
PS. Monday. The Age reports up to 50,000 people walked in Melbourne.
And… Paul Sinclair of the Australian Conservation Foundation writes along similar lines (even referencing WW2) in this morning’s Age: And now for Australia’s next great challenge — saving our environment
9 replies on “This is our war”
Garrett said it, but I thought it myself a long time ago. If we don’t get the environment right, economics will be irrelevant.
We need to stop breeding. Or there needs to be a pandemic that decimates the population. We’re screwed. This is something I’ve been thinking for a long time. The world is severely overpopulated by humankind and we’re the parasites killing everything on this planet.
Recommended reading: Six Degrees by Mark Lynas. Get wise!
“Soldiers going to war now choose to do so”
Daniel, I’d like to shake your hand for this one line. As a member of the defense force I am glad someone has come to realise this … there is no point screaming “Bring our boys home” NONE OF THEM ARE THERE AGAINST THEIR OWN WILL. Sorry for the yelling.
Cheers mate.
There was a comment posted that I seem to have accidentally deleted. I didn’t agree with it, but didn’t mean to zap it. If my memory serves me correctly, it was posted by a “Jason” and was along the lines of “Commo pinko crap!” and ranted about “Difference of Opinion.”
I quite like the idea of “Difference of Opinion” but for some reason it fails to deliver… I’m not sure Jeff McMullen is the best host for a show like that, and the cartoons seems like a very forced add on. I much prefer Insight with Jenny Brockie.
in WW1 the AIF was an all volunteer force.
nobody ‘forced’ them to go.
a referendum on conscription was held, which was very divisive. it lost.
as for ‘walk against warming’ – im sure the sun will take notice. manmade climate change on a global scale is a myth.
you might as well shake your fist at the ocean and order the tide to never come in again.
Why do certain individuals persist in mocking those amongst us prepared to do something constructive in combatting climate change? The attitude that there is no problem, that the rising temperatures are cyclical, and that greenhouse gases are nothing to be concerned about is dreadfully misguided.
We should also remember that it’s politicians or egoists who first created the problems that then needed to be solved by sending troops to wars.