FROM THE EDITOR
The world has spoken on climate change, now we need to empower our politicians to act.
BLOODY HELL.
How depressing is it to end 2018 with Jair Bolsonaro being elected President of Brazil?
Jair is from the hard hard right of politics. He admires Brazil’s former dictatorships, he wants to remove land rights from Indigenous peoples, he doesn’t believe that human activity affects climate change and wants to chop down the rainforest. And, of course, he hates the gays.
He thinks a dead son is better than a gay son, says that if sees LGBT people on the street holding hands he’ll punch them, and that if gays move into your neighbourhood the value of your house will go down. Read more of his anti-gay rants in our Nuts special this month on page 70. Or find his interview with Stephen Fry on YouTube in which his homophobia is up-front and uncensored. It’s chilling.
Life for Brazil’s LGBTIQ citizens is about to get bad. Bolsonaro has embolden homophobes. Increased hate attacks have already been reported in Rio and Sao Paulo.
We can only support our LGBTIQ family in Brazil from afar but, there is an issue that’s even more pressing; it effects everyone on the planet and something I feel strongly about: climate change.
If, like Jair Bolsonaro, you don’t believe climate change is impacted and accelerated by human activity, stop reading now. I’m not going to attempt to convince you that you are wrong. If the worldwide scientific community can’t do it, what hope do I have? You are a lost cause.
To everyone else, I have a suggestion and a request. No matter what country you are in, and DNA’s readers are all over the world, please consider writing to your member of parliament or political representative to tell them that you want to see real action on climate change.
Sir David Attenborough told leaders at the COP24 summit in Poland in early December that failure to address climate change would see the collapse of human civilisation. I don’t think that’s overstating the situation. We are already seeing communities being destroyed by rising sea levels, drought, floods and hurricanes. Attenborough also said climate change is “a man-made disaster of a global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years”.
“The world’s people have spoken,” he said. “Time is running out. Leaders of the world, you must lead.”
The people have spoken, and we need to keep speaking to make sure our politicians take action. Signing an online petition is great when you want to add your voice to a hot topic, but politicians (the good ones) actually take notice of the emails they receive. It’s one way they stay in touch with the issues that matter to their electorate and those concerns are discussed in party rooms and policy meetings.
From experience, I know there are a few ways to get your email noticed when it lands in a politician’s in-box. Firstly, tell them who you are. In my case, I’m an Anglo, middle-class, middle-aged man with a publishing business. They want my vote! They want yours, too, so remind them gently that you are an active voter. Don’t abuse them or use negative language. “Why aren’t you doing more to save the planet !!!! ” won’t work. Instead, tell them calmly, plainly and directly why you want to see action on climate.
You may be able to anticipate your representative’s response. Often, job losses, power prices, emissions taxes and excuses about other countries not doing their share are offered up. Don’t let them. Tell them these arguments are no longer acceptable excuses. Yes, it’s difficult, but remind them that that’s what they’ve been elected to do – find ways to solve the difficult challenges.
Finally, tell them you will be disappointed if you only received a standard auto-generated reply to your email. Ask them to reply personally. Ask them to explain their party’s policy or what they’re doing personally on this issue. Hold them to account.
Pressure from powerful lobby groups, political inertia and fear stops politicians taking the action on climate change we all want (except for those people who stopped reading a few paragraphs back). We can empower them to take action by saying we will only vote for politicians who support strong, immediate action. This is a bipartisan issue. Left or right, everyone wants a liveable planet. Wherever you are on the political spectrum, find your rep or MP and write. Don’t be a bystander as the Earth goes up in smoke.
Thank you!
We need more David Attenboroughs and less Jair Bolsonaros. Be an Attenborough.
We need more David Attenboroughs and less Jair Bolsonaros. Be an Attenborough.