For a long time, I have been concerned about environmental issues and the negative impact people have on the natural environment – either deliberately or unintentionally.
Climate Change
Over the past few years, scientists and activists have tried their best to bring about an awareness of these issues. Many people have listened and have agreed that there is a problem. Some people have taken action in their own way. Others have not known what to do. Others have denied that there is a problem.
And me? I have planted hundreds of trees, decreased my use of plastics, I ensure any trip I do to town is a multi- not a single purpose trip, I have consciously planted flowering plants for the bees and birds. My artwork also plays a part. I am in the camp of having awareness and I have taken some action.
Triggers for my Thinking
But what really brought things home to me were, a recent podcast on the ABC by Matt Bevan (12 April, 2022) about Professor John Bockris from Flinders University who, 50 years ago in 1974 predicted the climate crisis with uncanny accuracy:
- “The urgency of my argument is entirely dependent on carbon dioxide. The evidence for the carbon dioxide damage … is completely definite. To put it very briefly, it makes the climate change.”
Professor Bockris had not only identified that the world had a problem. He also predicted the solutions, also with uncanny accuracy. No one listened.
The other trigger has been a series of reports – the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports which indicate that:
- we need to keep the global temperature below a 1.5 degree Celsius rise by 2030. We all know the problems and the consequences – we are now living in that space.
I thought about 2030 … that is only 3000 days away, or 428 weeks, or 72,000 hours.
That’s not a lot of time.
What’s next for me?
So, I set myself a challenge. To do a drawing/painting a day for the next 3000 days on a continuous scroll, the purpose of which is to provide a visual record of the plants we are in danger of losing, and to help educate people about the fact that we don’t have much time.
I started on Earth Hour Day – 26 March 2022. Time is marching on. I have completed 67 drawings. Today, 1 June, we have 2933 days to go.
- I plan to do a blog a month which will show you images from my scroll, and tell you more about my thinking in its design and use.