OPINION: The climate change column with campaigner Barbara Atherton: Come along to the second Eco Summit at Christ Church

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finally has sufficient verifiable data to declare to the world that the issue is genuine.
A second Eco Summit will take place at Christ Church on September 18.A second Eco Summit will take place at Christ Church on September 18.
A second Eco Summit will take place at Christ Church on September 18.

The panel attributed climate change to human activity and said it poses a ‘real and present’ danger to millions of people’s lives and livelihoods.

The UN has also declared a ‘Code Red’ to describe that we need to deal with things urgently.

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We need to be working together more than ever and I find I only have pity for the deniers who are obviously not strong enough to change their direction and join the flow heading to a new relationship with the natural world.

Bridlington Climate Change campaigner Barbara Atherton.Bridlington Climate Change campaigner Barbara Atherton.
Bridlington Climate Change campaigner Barbara Atherton.

There is that famous Native American (Cree) prophecy which says: “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realise we cannot eat money” – which could easily be adapted at the moment to mention wildfires, burgers and flooding.

And it is the big companies with their precious shareholders, Governments with their fingers in too many business pies, and the tyrants in many countries whose main concerns are for themselves and their families, all who thrive and govern and rule through greed, who somehow need to be convinced of the error of their ways.

I was reminded of this whilst watching a rerun of the film On The Waterfront as the priest delivers an impromptu sermon on the non-Christian attitude of the union-controlling mob and the need for them to be brought to account!

So where do we fit into this Code Red?

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I think most of us have been doing the right things domestically – recycling and reusing, using our compost caddies.

With our typical British (or Yorkshire) ‘spirit of the Blitz’ we no doubt have an eye to emergencies and have even made preparations (I bought a ceiling fan last year and have used it twice, although I know it’s always there come the heatwaves).

I don’t use a hosepipe in the garden – well, it rains enough nowadays, and I’ve got water butts too.

All these small adjustments add up and change our whole lifestyle attitudes for the better.

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I’d love to hear what tweaks or milestones you have attempted or succeeded at in your homes.

But is there more we can do, more we should know, more pats on the back we should give ourselves and others?

A good start for those in and around Bridlington might be to come along to the Rev Oli Preston’s Eco Summit Part 2 on Saturday, September 18 at Christ Church on Quay Road.

As I have mentioned before, there will be mini-talks, stalls, refreshments and learning opportunities.

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Throw a couple of councillors into the mix and a fairly open time slot, hope the climate saves a sunny autumn day for us and it should be a good afternoon.

Please come along, add your support, and make a difference.

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