Page150 - Week 01 - Thursday, 3 December 2020
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While the federal inventory claimed a 0.1 per cent emissions cut, mine cut 77 per cent. Apparently I am 7,700 times more effective than our federal government. It is almost as if they are not really trying. While my project succeeded, my mission is in peril.
I always intended to finish my climate change project by looking at its victims. I planned to interview an overseas refugee from some remote island that was sinking into the sea—Tuvalu or Kiribati or the Marshall Islands—someone else from somewhere else. But this year I have had climate refugees living in my house. Theirs burned down in the fires. My final interview was not with some foreigner from a distant place; it was with Ted Pettigrove, volunteer patrol captain from the Broulee Surf Club. Ted found a new role on New Year’s Eve running an evacuation centre on our local beach. This is what climate change feels like.
I have been exchanging pleasantries with the Greens my whole life, but I only recently came to the party. Like many Canberrans, I have always viewed politics with fascinated distaste. When I was a public servant, it never seemed right to join a political party, although public servants can join, and the world would be better if more did. I voted Greens. I watched what Greens did. My heart broke every time a Greens idea failed or, more often, was killed.
I was particularly interested in the ACT Greens, who had somehow managed to enter not only the Assembly but government itself. I crossed paths with Shane and Caroline while working on cycling, recycling, plant foods and climate change. I watched what they said; but, more importantly, I watched what they did.
Caroline told us at a 2010 climate rally that we would have 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2020. I thought what a crazy dream. Here we are! With Greens in the Assembly, Canberra passed one climate milestone after another: declaring a state of climate emergency, setting a real action plan, making big cuts to our emissions, rolling out effective transitions. I saw a salve to the great despair of why people in power do nothing for the climate. Some do and more could.
A little over a year ago I had a conversation with another renowned Green, Tim Hollo. We talked activism and the environment. We talked about Belconnen. I said I grew up in Weetangera and I lived in Macquarie with my family and I adored the whole place. Tim asked me an intriguing question, “Would I run?” It had never occurred to me to enter politics; but I desperately wanted more environmentalists in every parliament at every level. If not me, then who?
I thought about timing. I could. So I did. It is not easy running a political campaign. I do not mean for the candidates, although we work hard; but there are so many other people behind the scenes slogging their guts out. It is a huge drain on their time and energy, and it comes at no personal gain and at great cost. We have a huge community of staff, volunteers and members. I particularly thank Adam, Adele, Annie, Barbara, Ben, Callum, Chris, Clancy, Eddy, Fiona, Hugh, John, Josie, Maverick, Michael, Nick, Peter, Paul and Trevor. Thank you all. We would not hold these seats without you. My support candidates, Katt Millner and Tim Liersch, led volunteers and listened to the community and kept coming back for more, no matter how much I asked of them. Thank you. You both did an amazing job. My partner, Rob, and my daughter, Xander,
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