With Australia in the middle of a heat wave, most advice will be telling you how to keep cool, survive the heat wave and avoid heat stress.
But today I’m going to talk about something a little counter-intuitive.
Keeping cool is important, of course.
Almost everyone hates the idea of several days of boiling hot weather – much hotter than usual for summer.
And that’s just what Australia is having right now. 🙁
On top of last year being the hottest year on record. 🙁
And we’ll be seeing more of it. 🙁
And if we – via our governments, our investments and our banks – continue to extract and burn fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, then we will only see more of these heat waves. That’s because the extraction and burning of fossil fuels releases the greenhouse gases that are the main cause of the climate changes that we are starting to experience through, for example, more extreme weather events.
So if we don’t want to experience the discomfort, inconvenience and tragedy of more frequent and more severe heat waves, then we need to do something to minimize the risk of them occurring.
One of the easiest – and powerful – things you can do is write letters and sign petitions asking for the dramatic transformations needed so that we can avert catastrophic climate change and life as we know it can continue.
That’s because everyone finds it easier to take action if they know they are not acting alone. In effect, your letters and petitions give permission for others to do the right thing.
In your letters, make it clear that you want all support for and extraction and burning of fossil fuels to cease because you do not like what it is doing to our world.
You can write to your:
- Politicians – especially your local members and your Prime Minister or President
- Letters to the Editor
- Bank
- Superannuation or retirement fund
(You can follow some of my dealings with my banks and superannuation funds here.)
If you went to university, you can write to them too. They will have retirement and endowment funds that are likely to be invested in fossil fuel companies. Universities also often have research teams undertaking research that helps fossil fuel companies. Let them know if you do not think that is appropriate for an institution devoted to enlightenment and advancement of humanity.
If you are connected with a religious group or organization, engage with it and your fellow worshippers. Tackling climate change is a moral issue that requires you to put your faith in action by showing moral leadership. Climate change is the greatest problem that has ever faced humanity. It is about your love for this planet and its inhabitants and your deep reverence for life. It is about your children and your fellow humans. Religious groups can show moral leadership in a range of ways, from the advocacy by religious leaders and congregations to actions like their choice of banks and investments.
Now is the time to help others to be the change you wish to see as we confront the most pressing issue of our time. And writing letters or signing petitions is something easy to do during a heat wave! 😉
I’d love to hear about your experiences with pressing for real action to avert catastrophic climate change. Just leave your comments in the Reply box below …or send me a voice message by clicking on the tab on the right.
Till next time…be gentle to yourself and our world!