Australia’s Six Sentences Of Hope

Six sentences of hope: defining a unifying vision in the face of the climate crisis; A sense of futility haunts us all, so I sought to distill in as few words as possible what could be done by us as a people. Writing them, I felt my despair lift

Richard Flanagan, 21 August 2019 (UK Guardian)

“…[W]e find ourselves alone in the universe without illusions. There are no leaders, no parties, no nation, no gods that will save us...[And each of us finds within ourselves only] a despair at our general weakness…This sense of futility haunts us…And yet within that failure is hope. Having only ourselves we finally discover bedrock: ourselves…[A]t the moment, we can still keep climate change within the 1.5C change. It is difficult. But it remains possible. And science tells us that at 1.5C we can still exercise control over our future…[If we choose not to act now, within a decade we will be looking at between 2C and 6C of warming by 2100. And at that point science tells us that we can no longer control anything…

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[1]...Australia can be an affirming light in a time of despair, a global leader in transitioning to a carbon-free and socially just society, and that is why we wish our government to –

[2] Work with Australian land managers to stop land clearing, protect existing forests and grow new forests to absorb existing carbon pollution…

[3] Work with Australian farmers and graziers to make farming carbon neutral…

[4] Work with Australian miners to ensure a transition into 21st century minerals (nickel, rare earth) and end thermal coal mining and gas fracking in Australia…

[5] Work with Australian regulators to make all Australian ground transport powered by renewable energy by 2030…

[6] Work with Australian industry to make Australia a renewable energy giant and carbon-neutral economy by 2050, funded by progressive pollution tariffs on global heaters…

…[These six sentences are not new ideas, all are founded in science, and all are being fought for in various ways. But everywhere we see them dismissed and attacked. Yet, when conceived as a mutual and national endeavour how possible they become. It] is time to take our future back. It’s time to stand and fight…[W]e will discover the language of hope in the quality of our courage.” click here for more

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