This week there were news items about mothers marching against climate change with their small children.
But today’s children are not the first generation to have a sharp awakening to our violation of the environment – pollution was a major concern for youngsters of the 1970s.
As a child my cultural heroes were environmentalists. The Wombles recycled rubbish, singing ‘Pick up the papers and make ‘em into something new. It's what we do.' Bagpuss was an expert in thrift: ’We wiĺl mend it. We will fix it. We will make it like new, new, new.’
As a teenager, instead of buying new, I embraced the 1970s’ revival of handicrafts and made my own leather bags, floaty skirts and bead jewellery. Cars were a rarity and I travelled by bus, bike or on foot and got to know my neighbours.
Reducing our carbon footprint could take us back to the 1970s. But would that be completely bad?
Today’s notoriously stressed youngsters might well enjoy the benefits of a less commercial society. Once we have begun to tackle the emergency of climate change, there may be space for a better way of life.
This blog is taken from a letter I just had published in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/15/if-climate-change-sends-us-back-to-the-70s-would-that-be-so-very-bad
As a child my cultural heroes were environmentalists. The Wombles recycled rubbish, singing ‘Pick up the papers and make ‘em into something new. It's what we do.' Bagpuss was an expert in thrift: ’We wiĺl mend it. We will fix it. We will make it like new, new, new.’
As a teenager, instead of buying new, I embraced the 1970s’ revival of handicrafts and made my own leather bags, floaty skirts and bead jewellery. Cars were a rarity and I travelled by bus, bike or on foot and got to know my neighbours.
Reducing our carbon footprint could take us back to the 1970s. But would that be completely bad?
Today’s notoriously stressed youngsters might well enjoy the benefits of a less commercial society. Once we have begun to tackle the emergency of climate change, there may be space for a better way of life.
This blog is taken from a letter I just had published in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/15/if-climate-change-sends-us-back-to-the-70s-would-that-be-so-very-bad
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