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Blog Action Day 2009 – A letter to my daughter

Today, over 8000 blogs in 140 countries are taking part in Blog Action Day 2009 raising awareness and challenging people to act on climate change. Thanks to Miss Smidge, who let me know about this, and has a great post on her site. For my contribution I thought I'd write a letter to my two and a half year old daughter, Rosie.

Dear Rosie

Last time I wrote you a letter on here, it was to give you advice. This time, it's an apology.  You see, as I write this it would appear that my generation and the one that came before it has utterly and totally screwed you. Sorry.  Global warming is currently a threat. One we've known about for years but one on which virtually no real action has been taken by the people in power. 

But for you global warming will in all likelihood be a massive problem, one which will mean you have no chance to grow up in the kind of world I did.  One which will mean that our home nation may be underwater, that the world's economy is devastated and that famine and plagues and floods are the standard order of the day.  One if that really is the world you are faced with, I'm sorry.

You see, one of the real problems faced by mankind (other than all the harmful Co2 we keep spewing into the atmosphere) is an attitude that loves nothing more than to put things off.  We are experts in using delaying tactics, much like the sort that you yourself will be doing in a few years time. For example, putting off your homework by saying you need to tidy your room. Or you need to finish the chapter in your book. Or there's a really good show on, and you promise you'll do it as soon as it's finished.

Except when you look at the politicians today, it's the same thing but on a much larger scale. 'We would tackle the environment but we need to keep our economies afloat.' Or; 'But if we cut emissions then other countries will overtake us.'  That kind of thing. But what we all know and nobody is saying is that every government is saying; 'It's not gonna start causing chaos just yet, so let the next guy deal with it.'

But the more and more we put it off, the more the scientists speak with more urgency about the need to act.  And so we do token gestures. Countires agree to small reductions as long as they can buy the right to pollute more. A few people take up cycling while the vast majority still drive. We recycle our cans and bottles.  And all the while we know deep down that it's not enough.

But there is room for hope. In America the most powerful man on the planet (no, not the leader of China, but America, they were really important back when you were little) seems to be serious on solving this issue (once he's sorted out all the other ones of course) and at our next election the choice is between three party leaders who all seem to be serious about the environment too. (Although I wouldn't trust one of them in all honesty. You can check if I was right, he was the next Prime Minister after I wrote this. No seriously, we elected a haircut. Sorry about that as well.)

And there are millions of people across the planet who care, and who don't want to leave a mess behind for you and your generation to live through.  Today over 8000 bloggers are writing things about this subject.  That might not sound like a lot, but a lot of them have a lot more readers than me.  So it may well be that as more and more people wake up to the reality of climate change we may just do something to sort it all out before you are looking at a world absolutely devastated.  I really do hope so.

But in case we don't, I'm sorry.

Love from your Daddy.