Future present by Susan Grimsdell
The warnings we get about global warming always talk about the future – “by 2030 there will be….” or “in 5 years’ time sea level will….” But humans are not good at preparing for the future. We are a here and now kind of species. For example, most of us find it impossible to say no to a delicious slice of pizza or piece of cake, even when the old saying fills our mind – “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips”. Oh what the hell, we say and… Read More
Flying again by Susan Grimsdell
Leadership When Covid first hit in NZ, our Prime Minister took a leadership role right away. “Stay home,” she said, and explained why. We believed the science and we believed her and it seems it’s a good thing we did because our death rate was miniscule. The key to us all complying was her strong leadership. She didn’t say “We’d appreciate it if you stayed home as much as possible.” She said loud and clear, “Stay Home!” World wars bring out that kind of leadership – people all over Europe put up… Read More
The air travel conundrum by Angela Caldin
My younger daughter and her family have been visiting Auckland for the last ten days and flew off back to the Sunshine Coast this morning. My son lives in New York and is bringing his family to visit us in July. If we want to see each other in person, we have no alternative but to fly. There is no other means of transport we could use. That means that our carbon footprint as a family is large and we are making a disproportionate contribution to climate change. What should we do?… Read More
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