Conservation Comment: Time is of the essence

Climate demonstrators during the last day of COP21 in Paris, France, December 12, 2015. Photo / Andre Larsson/NurPhoto/Getty Images

You're not well. You expect to recover, but then find that your doctor isn't being straight with you. The diagnosis is worse than you thought. Now, time is of the essence.

That won't happen, of course, because doctors are morally and professionally obliged to tell the truth.

And so are scientists, media and our elected politicians. Yet, they are not being straight with us. Climate breakdown is progressing fast and time is of the essence. Many scientists have warned for decades against pumping more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but emissions keep rising.

The media has a code of ethics, to seek the truth and report it. The stark reality of the climate crisis is sometimes reported but often ignored. As for politicians; they have their eye on the polls and fingers on the pulse of economic growth. Even knowing the seriousness of the crisis they allow emissions to keep on rising.

The diagnosis is worse than you think. In 2015 at CoP 21 (Conference of the Parties) in Paris countries agreed to do their best to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

But they can't, 1.5 degrees Celsius is locked in. There's only a 5 per cent chance of limiting global warming to two degrees, let alone 1.5. One scientist even admitted that in 2015 the Paris Agreement was "a complete shock, no one thought a rise of only 1.5C was possible".

Professor Sir David King, former science adviser to successive UK governments, said last year, "We have to move rapidly. What we do, I believe, in the next 3-4 years will determine the future of humanity."

Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-chair of the Working Group II of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) said, "Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future."

In August an atmospheric river dumped a metre of rain on to Nelson in four days. One-third of Pakistan was under water, 33 million people displaced. Record-breaking heat waves hit Europe, UK, China and parts of the US.

Yet governments around the world, including ours, are not taking the steps needed to reduce emissions in time.

What to do? The easiest response is to ignore this article. Or, if you've read this far, brush it off as exaggeration. After all, if it was that bad we'd be doing more, right? That's what governments are for, to look after us. Or you could believe in that techno-fix just around the corner. Someone else will save us. Surely!

No. But like the patient with a terminal illness, I want the truth. I won't sit by while those in charge allow the destruction of everything and everyone I love.

I've been watching young people around the world doing brave selfless things to force emissions reductions from their respective governments. They are getting in the way of the complacency that is killing us. Some of my friends are about to do the same here in Aotearoa and I will be joining them.

Rosemary Penwarden was born and bred on a dairy farm near Whanganui and is part of the new campaign to Restore Passenger Rail.