My neighbour has gone to Madeira and I
have promised to take care of the plants on his balcony. It’s a reciprocal
arrangement that works well but, although I can cope with the watering and dead-heading,
his petunias (and mine) are infested with aphids and I’m not sure what to do
about that, for reasons that I will explain.
While he is away we
are experiencing a heatwave, as is much of Europe. In fact, Manchester today is
warmer than Madeira. Now, I am no fan of hot weather – one of the things I like
about the North of England is its temperate climate – but this extremely hot
spell could be useful if it makes climate-change deniers reconsider their
argument. (Sorry, I’m forgetting that ‘denial’ is not actually an argument.)
Expert consensus confirms that this is not a ‘blip’ on the charts but a foretaste
of what is to come, a symptom of the looming, world-wide climate emergency.
Which is why I am taking Extinction Rebellion (XR) seriously.
Not as seriously as my partner, mind.
She has actually ‘joined’ XR (it does not have an official register), in so far
as she now commits a great deal of time and energy to its operations. It is in
her nature to dive passionately into projects that she believes in, which is a
wonderful thing: such energy is the driving force of change. Meanwhile, cautious
characters, like me, watch in awe from the side-lines, where we consider
carefully whether or not to get sucked in. It’s not that I cannot comprehend
the urgency of the situation, but my allegiance is demanded by so many crises
that I am reluctant to opt for just one: the homeless people on our doorstep;
the idiocy of our political system; the failings of neo-liberal capitalism –
it’s quite a list and I fear that if I fight exclusively for one cause, I will have
no time left for the others. Nevertheless, I must do something.
In order to reverse the damage to the
Planet’s eco-system, governments around the world need to unite in enforcing
eco-friendly economic policies. But this is not happening: although we have a world
council, the United Nations, its record is one of individual nations plumping
for their own interests above common causes. Our only hope is to convince every
national government that ecological breakdown is happening, now, and that we
will all suffer the disastrous consequences. Preaching and teaching are not
sufficiently effective – the Green Party has been making its case for forty years
– so direct action is necessary. Hence the likes of Greenpeace and XR, too often
regarded as the preserve of extremists when, in reality, they are backed by
ordinary, concerned citizens. Like me.
Total immersion in a movement is not
the only way to support its aims. There are many ways in which non-joiners can contribute,
giving money being an obvious one. Yet another is to adapt one’s
daily habits to incorporate some practical and effective boosts to progress. One
small example would be my recent adoption of plant-based detergents for washing
machines. It took a while to get around to breaking old habits, but the only
difficult part of the process was locating stockists. Then there’s the
determination to eat less red meat, which is eased by the knowledge that there
might be personal health benefits as well. And if this sounds as if I am
teetering on the edge of conversion to veganism, be assured that I will teeter
awhile yet. Veganism is too ‘all-in’ for my liking (the clue is in the ism) and
offers me no solution to my aphid dilemma. Yes, I’ve tried spraying them with
soapy water, but they seem to like it – especially in this weather – and
although I sympathise with Thoreau’s view that “every creature is better
alive than dead” I’m not sure my
neighbour does.
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