#FaceTheClimateEmergency
We can never go back to business as usual because it’s simply not sustainable……………..but yet it continues.
Today, I read in the news another gut wrenching story about sacred caves which have been destroyed by mining giant Rio Tinto. The caves, set deep in a desert gorge, had yielded a treasure trove of artifacts tracing Aboriginal people’s long history in Australia: a 28,000-year-old kangaroo bone sharpened into a blade; a 4,000-year-old plait of human hair believed to have been worn as a belt. Underneath the caverns sat millions of dollars’ worth of high-grade iron ore, in a country where mining is king. In May 2020, the mining giant Rio Tinto decided to blow up the caves to get at the riches below [1].
Whilst the mountains and hills around San Francisco and Oregon are currently being ravaged by fires, Artic towns and villages have seen the warmest days on record this year, we learned yesterday that since 1970 we have wiped out nearly 70% of global wildlife and parts of Africa are experiencing torrential rain. Climate change is quickening and governments are too slow to act. We need to face up to this challenge right now. As a society we need to be talking, sharing and educating everyone around us about Climate Change and the emergency we find ourselves in today.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/business/rio-tinto-indigenous-sites.html
By Ruth Clinton
Water Innovation Officer