Changing attitudes to climate chaos

Gareth Jones questions how attitudes toward climate change can, and must, be altered.

''It's the global emergency that will put an end to all of us unless we deal with it'' Help stop climate chaos by attending the march on Saturday 4th November.

Each morning I find myself getting angry at the 4x4s on the road. I see the drivers as selfish. The environment and our future seem far from their concern.

"It's the global emergency that will put an end to all of us unless we deal with it," said MP Alan Whitehead (Lab). So why doesn't everyone listen? Why don't they feel the same way I do about the climate, and realise how important it is to act now?

I recently went to a public meeting in Southampton entitled: 'Climate Change: Is the government doing enough?'. Nick Davies, a Friends of the Earth parliamentary campaigner who hosted the meeting said: "A few years ago we wouldn't have had nearly as many people here as there are today". This was obvious from the last-minute room change they had to make to accommodate the unexpected influx of people. This proves that some people’s attitudes are changing.

But most of the people in that meeting were probably there because they already appreciate how critical things are. It's a shame that those who really need persuading were probably sat at home burning the kilowatts with their heads stuck in the sand.
Rev. Ian Johnson, the meeting's chair and a local columnist, described how he had seen several letters in the paper accusing the government of controlling us with climate change fear. Maybe that is a little farfetched, but it does illustrate a problem. We have loads of information around us but we don't know which parts to trust. People will always distrust their governments to some extent, but I hope the cynics will watch the government's latest climate change campaign with at least a little curiosity.

Maybe high profile celebrities could help? Thom Yorke is supporting 'The Big Ask' and he is just one of many celebrities who are jumping on the bandwagon. I think celebrities do help, but their message only appears to be heard by the younger generation. We need to convince the others.

It is a huge task. Nick Davies argued that we need people to behave "Just like in the war when people grew their own food and recycled their metal fences. That is the scale of action we require now." I agree with Nick, but the problem is unlike the movement in World War II because this time the threat to our survival isn't so immediate and obvious. There have been large-scale climate changes, but I can't help but feel that it will take the road tar to melt before those 4x4 drivers start to listen. This is the real problem: people need to realise the level of personal risk, and then I am sure that the climate will be on everyone's agenda.

The perception of climate responsibility must change. Being a 'climate destroyer' needs to become as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

Proud to be British? Well the United Kingdom has just been rated Europe's top energy waster. Now that is something for us all to think about.