Legacy

We all want to leave the world a better place for our children and grandchildren.

We all know what needs to be done.

We all know that carbon emissions must be reduced.

We all know that with the planet in the grip of climate change our actions are more urgent than ever.

We all know this because of headlines such as:

Devastating climate change could lead to 1m migrants a year entering EU by 2100

and images such as this:

My entire @Sea_Legacy team was pushing through their tears and emotions while documenting this dying polar bear. It’s a soul-crushing scene that still haunts me, but I know we need to share both the beautiful and the heartbreaking if we are going to break down the walls of apathy. This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It’s a slow, painful death. When scientists say polar bears will be extinct in the next 100 years, I think of the global population of 25,000 bears dying in this manner. There is no band aid solution. There was no saving this individual bear. People think that we can put platforms in the ocean or we can feed the odd starving bear. The simple truth is this—if the Earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and entire polar ecosystems. This large male bear was not old, and he certainly died within hours or days of this moment. But there are solutions. We must reduce our carbon footprint, eat the right food, stop cutting down our forests, and begin putting the Earth—our home—first. Please join us at @sea_legacy as we search for and implement solutions for the oceans and the animals that rely on them—including us humans. Thank you your support in keeping my @sea_legacy team in the field. With @CristinaMittermeier #turningthetide with @Sea_Legacy #bethechange #nature #naturelovers This video is exclusively managed by Caters News. To license or use in a commercial player please contact info@catersnews.com or call +44 121 616 1100 / +1 646 380 1615”

A post shared by Paul Nicklen (@paulnicklen) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:52am PST

We all know that certain people can have more impact on climate change than the rest of us.

Aggregate Industries says: "We are committed to tackling climate change".

DCC says: "We all contribute to climate change through our use of electricity, heat and vehicle fuels, and there are actions that we can all take – as individuals, as householders, at school and at work – to cut the emissions that contribute to climate change."

What legacy would AI management be leaving if they needlessly put 2.5 million HGV miles on our roads - with the associated CO2 and air pollution - from their Straitgate Farm proposal?

What legacy would DCC planners be leaving if they recommended this proposal?

Could these people look their children and grandchildren in the eye and say I did all I could?

Could these people hold their heads up high and say I was part of the solution?

Because with climate change, as that famous saying goes:

If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.