A sea of troubles

From childhood for some reason part of Hamlet’s soliloquy has caught in my mind.

“Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?”.

For many of our Pacific Nations the sea is in fact a sea of troubles with the possibility of some being extensively flooded and some disappearing as global warming increases. Already thy have suffered the devastation of typhoons and underground eruptions.

In Australia we are concerned we might lose power now and then but as billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has pointed out “At some point we have to admit we have made this problem ourselves.” He was the one who provided funding for candidates in the recent election who supported policies to promote climate action and most of the independents who were successful were in that group. As its majority shareholder he also scuttled the plans of AGL to divide the company assets in a way that would preserve coal at the expense of renewables. AGL is one of the companies with its own generators. He chose to” take up arms”.

Most of us are not billionaires but we can do our part. Both major parties still support huge subsidies to coal which could make a huge difference to the development of renewable energy if those funds were diverted as well as removing a major pollutant. Coal is not profitable without these subsidies. We have the power to contact our local members and state a view. The last election has alerted even our sleepy politicians to the fact that climate action is seen as a major issue. Keep them awake.

The Uniting Church Towards Zero program is beginning to make a difference. Gardiner, Glen Waverley and  Bentleigh are among those who have made enormous changes with the introduction of rainwater tanks, introduction of native plants, recycling, more efficient heating, energy efficient lighting and solar panels as well as educational programs. They have made intelligent use of subsidies but have in some instance funded the programs initially by loans from congregation members easily repaid from the considerable savings and even profits from these changes. Burwood Heights has introduced more efficient lighting.

In the midst of the “sea of troubles” unlike poor Hamlet there is hope . Australia has at last committed to an increased commitment to reduced emissions by 2030 – 43% instead of 28% - though some suggested it needs to be closer to 75% to be effective. Supermarkets are making considerable efforts to reduce waste and improve energy efficiency. Government programs are available to encourage more efficient lighting and heating and many people are beginning to consider possibilities even if there is an initial increased cost. In fact, almost everything you due to improve your “carbon footprint” will also save you money in the long run. More importantly it may preserve this earth for your grandchildren and their grandchildren.

Perhaps it really is possible to oppose the sea of troubles and by opposing end them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Faith and the concept of God

Image
 I chose not to publish this in paper form to avoid adding unsold books to the environment so you are free to download and copy Faith and the Concept of God and to use it with acknowledgement. It is not available otherwise and there is no cost involved. Grandad
Read more

Is lip service enough!

 I have enjoyed reading the short version of In Touch and it is about right for my old brain. In the last issue there was an interesting comment on Lent, and it contained two things which caught my eye and I thought I could add some additional comment. The first is the correct statement that the temple authorities were concerned for their livelihood but perhaps it goes further. By the time this was written the temple had already been destroyed by the Romans after another insurrection. The temple hierarchy were responsible to the Romans for collecting the taxes and obtained a cut from this but were also expected to keep the population subservient and peaceful. Jesus’s actions and statements threatened this peace and particularly at the time of the Passover remembering the time when the Israelite nation had been freed from the domination of the Egyptian pharaoh it could have stirred up unwelcome nationalism. The couple on the road to Emmaus commented. “we had hoped that he might be the
Read more

Only one lifetime

  As I write we are alert for the birth of our first great-grandchild due tomorrow. What an exiting event. This child will be born into a family which will be welcoming and caring and excited to share his or her life. All four great grandparents have reached the eighties, so there is a good chance this child will too. Amid the sense of joy, I have been reading a great deal about the threat to the planet with global warming. Frequently it speaks of “by the end of this century”. That always seemed a long way off, but now I realise our great grandchild will likely live to then. Somehow it seems closer. This means that in this one child’s lifetime unless much more drastic action is taken by our world’s leaders the planet will experience increasing flood and fires, the disappearance of some Pacific islands and some coastal cities, the loss of the Great Barrier Reef and perhaps 8o% of all coral reefs, displacement of millions due to the rising sea levels, greater poverty, and loss of a
Read more