War Effort

The Second World War took place in an extraordinarily intense five years. Almost unbelievably, the whole breadth of society became focussed on one desperate ambition, united by shared thoughts, passions and a simple love of freedom. For many everyday people, this demanded that they lay down their life. In a blunt sentence, never before in human history had such a show of international bravery and personal courage been so raw and heartfelt as in that epoch-making straggle of years. Against the powers and tragedies of the age, society became - for a fleeting moment at least - of one dream, spectacularly important and overridingly crucial.

Now, just over the brink of the millenium, could it be that we have entered the next global war? Could it be that we have that same desperate straggle of years, that one dream, that unifying ambition? Are we a world at war?

Here's the picture. 2015 will probably be a defining moment in the battle against climate change. Seriously. We might have just seven years left in which to peak emissions. After 2015, we must be declining. If we fail to do that, we risk a 2*C rise in temperature, after which climate change could spiral out of control.

When I discovered this, I felt empty. Frankly, it's dangerously easy to feel despondent. But if we all think we're too small to be any meaningful part of the solution (and there very much is a solution), then we're not going to get anywhere. When one individual objects to driving, flying, switches off the lights, refuses standby, cuts down on meat and gets on a bike, they are part of a worldwide war effort. And yes, I do think we're at war. And it's a war we can win.

We are at war with climate change.

This is actually a tremendously exciting fact. Look at this. We've achieved the kind of communal effort necessary before. And in a mere five years. And as if this wasn't encouragement enough, this time, the sacrifices we're being asked to made look tiny and simple compared to the sacrifices made by those in the '40s. This is a crisis we know we can challenge.

Being part of a war effort doesn't mean an end to fun. It doesn't mean we lose out on having a great time. If anything, it means we'll be making a better world, and that is fantastic.

And that's why we've got to keep on fighting.

Patrick.