Ironically the pandemic spelled out the solution.
When the borders were closed, the overly rich with more money than they knew what to do with were forced to spend their ill-gotten gains domestically, sufficient enough to not only keep businesses ticking over nicely but keep the domestic economy in positive territory but, best of all, many innovative Kiwis learned to run their businesses from home and commute to work on bicycles.
And when combined with shipping and airlines no longer filling the air with greenhouse gases, dairying activity productivity improved air quality to the max with cleaner air there for all to breathe, and those with eyes to see, even in Auckland, saw nature rebounded to such an extent the long lost early morning bird chorus re-emerged as from antiquity.
Make no mistake the turning point of climate change when its destructive force is irreversible is upon us now.It is naive to think otherwise. Already, 50,000 species are becoming extinct annually. Polar bears now struggle to survive in warmer waters, deforestation continues at pace, consumerism and trade between nations is out of control and the only solution is lockdowns by all nations halting runaway consumerism in its tracks even if it takes pandemic on pandemic to jolt politicians into action.
Sadly, it will take the coming heatwaves, flooding and other catastrophic climate events to invoke any action from world leaders unless, before that, we as one voice demand action in the form of lockdowns.
I am not alone in this. Civilisation as we know it will, as previous civilisations have done before, self-destruct.
Gary Hollis
Mellons Bay
