Climate change is real and playing out as you read this text. The year 2015 was the hottest on record and climate models indicate more of the same in 2016.

 

As global temperatures increase, icecaps and polar areas melt causing sea levels to rise which inundate low lying areas around the world. 

 

Generally speaking, the burning of fossil fuels (ie coal and oil) for energy is driving climate change. When these fuels are burnt, they produce many toxic poisons, including carbon dioxide (C02) that is released as a gas into our atmosphere. Prior to the industrial revolution in the year 1750, there were 270 C02 parts per million (PPM) in our atmosphere - today, there are more than 400 PPM. As global citizens living on earth at this very moment, it is our responsibility to protect our planet for future generations.

 

The impacts of climate change have been known about for many decades, however previous governments have been too slow to act, and now we are near an irreversible tipping point.

 

More than 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are the main cause of climate change, but many humans are still skeptical and argue it's all part of a natural earth process. Some of these skeptics have vested interests in the fossil fuels industry, while others care little for the future generations who will inherit the earth from those living here today.

 

We have a short window left to act and own up to past mistakes, and to lobby our government leaders to divest from fossil fuels. The window got a second wind at the COP21 talks in Paris last December, but we cannot rely solely on government to do what is required to ensure a stable earth.

 

The technology is already here to produce and harness power from renewable energies such as solar, wind, tidal and thermal power mass. All global citizens are invited, and needed, to rise up, and demand that our MPs act on climate change.

 

The destruction of our native forests for woodchips causes enormous environmental damage, climate change, biodiversity loss, reduced water yields and increases bush fire risk. We understand the importance of regional timber worker jobs and support a transition to plantation timber and to the formation of the 'Great Forest National Park'.

 

There are plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight and this could devastate our fragile marine environments with oil spills through Bass Strait. Learn more here, and sign the petition to protect our precious oceans.

 

We have made the entire 'Bass Strait by Kayak' expedition a carbon neutral event, by off-setting our carbon emission to support action on climate change. We measured our emissions through Greenfleet that include our road travel (petrol fuel, to and from our starting and end points), an airline flight (aviation fuel), and our return ferry trip transport from Tasmania (diesel fuel).

 

History will be the judge of the decisions we make today. Get on board, and be a part of a clean energy future, and a better world!