Anyone who knows me well enough knows how passionate I am about these two things: music by Asa and climate change. Then imagine working on an assignment on climate change while listening to Asa’s playlist… bliss, until the track ‘Fire on the Mountain’ comes up. You’ll wonder how the two relates but picture the lyrics below actually happening.

One day the river will overflow (Rivers are definitely overflowing)
And there’ll be nowhere for us to go (soon there won’t be, as we presently have only Earth to support us)
And we will run, run, wishing we had put out the fire (run to where though, climate change is global)
For there is fire on the mountain (and it’s melting our planet)
Nobody seems to be on the run (we can live with it right?)
Fire on the mountain-top and no-one is a-running (run? Why?)
There is fire, fire in Africa (Africa? Nah! Africa is just fine, California is the one on fire)
Nobody seems to be on the run (but we’re doing just fine here)
Fire everywhere, in the sea (bollocks! how can the sea burn)

Sadly, ASA’s words relate the current situation of our planet with regards to climate change. It is on fire and we are unperturbed! To family and friends who listen to me every day, I’m sure I sound deranged constantly harping about stuff like switching off, cutting off beef, you don’t need a car, get energy saving bulbs, get only what you need, stop cutting down trees. . . That’s some climate madness right there but can you blame me when all I see in my head when ‘climate change’ flashes is a slooowly melting Earth? Earlier today, I read about a Swedish 15-year old who was brutally honest to the gathered leaders at the UN COP24 meeting in Katowice. Such brutal honesty is what we need given the ‘let’s take our time’ stance our governments have adopted on mitigating climate change. We need to create that sense of urgency, not everyone has the interest/time/energy in reading scientific papers and articles, but they need to hear the climate change mantra (climate change is happening, and it is happening fast!).

I repeat, it is time to create that sense of urgency, you might still find the effects of climate change bearable but imagine how unliveable we’re making this planet for our children and children of our children. Look at the burden we have chosen to foist on them because we can’t imagine changing our attitudes and present ways of living for e.g. cutting out beef or ceasing to amass earthly possessions we have no need for. It’s not so hard and it really is time to look at ways you as an individual can cut down on emissions cos if we can’t keep waiting for the ‘ogas-at-the-top’, as all they seem to do best is dance around the burning bush. Go through your daily routines, that A.C. you leave running cos you want the place all chilled when you return = greenhouse gases, lights can stay on because the strain on NEPA bills is negligible = more greenhouse gases, won’t walk short distances as it’ll cast aspersions on your affluence = extra extra greenhouse gases. You’ll wonder how this one take relate but those little gestures sure count, mitigating climate change can start small, it can start with you.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jIhNOrVG58