When Climate Change Protests are ignored

Discussion around climate change has escalated in recent days and everyone is loving the media’s poster girl with the plaits Greta Thunberg. Is she the first to talk about it though? No, just the latest. Remember Al Gore rose to worldwide prominence telling us that in 10 years time the icebergs would melt, the seas would rise and millions of people around the globe would be displaced. That was… oh yeah… about 13 years ago. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for that.

What do we really know about climate change? REALLY really. We know there have been thousands of scientific studies done based on data collected over the past 100 years or so that show without a doubt the temperatures are rising and the weather is becoming more extreme. But is 100 years enough data to see what is really going on?

Did you know there have also been scientific studies done on ice core samples taken from the poles of the earth? Yes there have. Samples that go down kilometres below the surface, recording the earth’s weather patterns for hundreds of thousands of years. What these samples showed was that every 25,000 years extreme weather patterns occur. They last for about 40 years then settle down again. The reason seems to be related to the larger cycle our sun travels, with its entourage of planets, around the galaxy wheel. 

Yes it settles down again all by itself. The only thing that would “enhance” the extreme qualities of the weather is the technology we have on the planet and surrounding the planet such as energy directed weapons, haarp, and underground utilities that can manufacture disasters on demand. The technology we are not told about. The technology that, in the right hands, could bring balance to our planet reducing drought, raining on wildfires, calming seas, subduing cyclones etc. It’s there. It’s just not to their advantage to keep us informed.

So if the weather pattern happens every 25,000 years then essentially what we are being sold is a larger version of that story we know about the Missionaries. When captured and realising they were about to be cooked for the village feast, they threatened to turn off the sun, knowing full well a solar eclipse was due. By scaring those who were not informed, they could make them do whatever they wanted.

Let’s not get distracted by the latest poster girl. If the climate will sort itself out, then let’s focus on what they are trying to distract us from. Namely corruption and pollution. Injustice and extreme financial inequality. Use and abuse of humans and animals rather than seeing them as assets to the planet.

We’ve recently had marches around the world where we waved placards demanding change. Did it make a difference? In some countries where they focussed on pollution - yes. In others, they were ignored. So if businesses and schools in Australia are proud of their workers and students taking the day off to “make a difference”, why not use the next day off to REALLY make a difference.

You can start small if you like. 

Reclaiming spaces 

Take a look around your neighbourhood, particularly in the cities. Look for spaces where there is concrete or asphalt covering the ground that is not necessary. Make a fuss with the local council to dig it up and put vegetation in. Get them to choose plants that are low maintenance so they won’t argue against the cost of looking after them.

Rubbish

So easy to take a shopping bag and a pair of rubber gloves to a neglected area of your neighbourhood and clean away the rubbish. There have been wonderful examples around the world where just one person started to work on a huge mountain of rubbish and others followed example immediately joining in. The number of participants swelled until the space was cleaned and there was room for celebration. It just takes one person to get started with no publicity. Again, we already have the technology to transmute rubbish piles into other substances such as nutrient filled top soil, for example. Mind blowing stuff we are not informed about. It will come. Have patience.

Learn about permaculture 

This is relatively new to me and excites me very much. Food forests have multiple layers of plants that act as natural pest repellents for each other - no chemicals required. They produce far more food with far more variety than regular agricultural spaces. If we followed the example of the Incredible Edible Project in Todmorden, UK and other similar projects, we could feed everyone in the area and NO ONE would go hungry. Here in Australia we consider ourselves a 1st World country yet, the social welfare for city dwellers does not even pay the rent. So there are a lot more hungry people here than we dare admit. 

Canopy coverage

Our media and governments (and Al Gore) often go on about carbon dioxide. Did you know that professional gardeners pump carbon dioxide into their greenhouses to stimulate plant growth? It’s not as bad as they say. Carbon monoxide from motor vehicles is another story though. This will definitely make you very sick. The technology for zero point energy that does away with fossil fuels has been around since at least the 1950s. Once again, this will come out eventually. Until then, trees will help as much as they can. Where in your neighbourhood can a tree be planted? They provide shade in summer, their flowers feed the bees, leaves make great compost and the oxygen they produce keeps us healthy. Make a fuss or do the research yourself on what species would be most beneficial for that space and go plant it.

Why grass?

So many areas around the cities and schools are planted with grass which is then cut back over and over until the dry weather kills it off. Encourage school principals and local authorities to either let the grass grow, which protects the soil from moisture loss, or cover the space with other types of plants which require less maintenance.

Cleaning the water

Water flowing around our communities and through the pipes of the water system is not healthy despite going through a “cleaning" process. Adding chemicals they say are good for us is involuntary medication and an excellent way to keep us docile. If you want to make a fuss about getting it cleaned up, a single petition or a single day’s protest is not going to do it. You need to be hassling - no, inundating - your local authorities about cleaning it up. When they are overwhelmed by the noise created by those who will not be silenced, they are more likely to do something about it. Our one day protest about climate change was fun but the protestors who scream until change happens like in Paris, Philippines, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Brazil, Iceland etc. are the ones who get results.

No need to head for the streets with pitchforks and torches. Just be a pain in the ass demanding change through phone calls and letters. (Emails are too easy to delete.) These things can be done in just a few minutes a day.

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We could call this “Light activism” if you like. Persistent, consistent and leading the example for others so that the endless needling will spark inspiration in the individuals working in the local authorities. These organisations are not buildings, after all. They are filled top to bottom with people with a conscience working within and you can reach them one person at a time.

What can you do today?