Language is marvellous. We have all sorts of ways of expressing ups and downs, goods and bads, dreams and realities. This week this slogan caught my eye: “Our third decade of climate action”. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or to think that’s a long time given how little we have achieved. I suppose both responses are off the mark. Neither should I be impressed or dismissive of what has been done in the last 30-years.
Now, “sustainability” is a word[1] that gets banded around like confetti. That certainly wasn’t the case in 1990. That’s not to say there wasn’t a green movement. Public awareness of the need to change was triggered in the 1970s. It’s only that what was a minority interest is now a mass interest.
If the multiple crises of the 1970s had motivated sustained change, then there’s no doubt we would be in a hugely better place than we are now. A great number of projects would have matured and alleviated the globes environmental burdens. New markets would have developed.
The observation I have is that rather than adopting the tough route of positive change, instead we took the easier path of going for the low-cost option. Oil and gas were as alluring as chocolate and sunny summer beaches. Does this tell us anything useful about human nature? Loads of memes scattered around social media would like us to think so. They are hardly profound. Mostly bland.
Language is marvellous. There’s a catalogue of famous speeches that mark moments in history when change happened. Or at least, times when many people pivoted from one position to another. Powerful words can transform.
Our problem in 2023 is that we are saturated with noise. Endless reassurances that big organisations pump out tell us how well we are doing. Brave politicians implore us to move in a different direction. Campaign groups thrust “in-your-face” activist at us. Sadly, the collective effort is culminating in many people switching off. There’s the real danger that the next 30-years will experience a sluggish movement and even a dumb reversion to past practices[2]. It’s a prospect that hovering in plain sight.
Language is marvellous. What we need, at this moment in history, is not more words but some truly meaningful words that motivate real change. Future generations, and it’s unlikely that I’ll be here after the next three decades, but not impossible, must not be left with an enormous mess brought on by our reluctance to change. Oil and gas are not the future. We must not put off the day we wean ourselves off these two.
[1] https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hundreds-of-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences-to-boost-british-energy-independence-and-grow-the-economy-31-july-2023
John Vincent 