Why there is cause for hope on climate change
OPINION: If there's one question I am asked more than any other, it's how optimistic or really how worried I am about the future of our planet. I know climate change can feel like being in a slow-motion train wreck. Up front the train has slammed into the rockface but we're all sitting down the back pretending the jarring vibration is just mild discomfort and will soon sort itself out. And that's why I struggle with my response. I want to be positive and reassuring but the few benefits of a warming world - like being able to grow tropical crops in locations that were once too cold don't really offer much against the disruption and damage that will be caused by a more energetic atmosphere and a rising, acidifying ocean. READ MORE: * New Zealand in 2050: The scenario if emissions are curbed * The scenario for New Zealand if temperatures keep rising * 4000 Days: A climate change story where you choose the ending * Covering Climate Now: The climate crisis is a mainstream concern And we're the cause. It's undeniable. The concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere is the highest it has been in hundreds of thousands of years. And the fingerprint of that extra CO2 is most definitely from the burning of fossil fuels. What's more, we've known for decades that our climate is highly sensitive to the elevation of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The evidence of change is all around us and it's compelling. As a climate scientist I feel a massive responsibility. Our core purpose is to be brokers of scientific knowledge to benefit society. We are dedicated to enhancing this knowledge and, most importantly, making it applicable and useful and, if you like, able to tilt the train ever so slightly so it only just scrapes the rockface. In many ways we have succeeded we know more about what is happening, why and what to do about it than ever before. This is cause for hope. There are other hopeful signs too. There is now wide recognition that the train we're on is unsafe. Across the country, councils are declaring climate emergencies and embedding climate change into their decision making, plans for how we will adapt are being made, and the Government is pushing through legislation aimed at curbing our emissions. And I have also recently realised there is another, even greater reason for hope. The other day my 16-year-old son went along to a local council candidates meeting. One of the questions asked by another young person in the audience was "what will you personally do to combat climate change?" I asked him what he thought of the answers and he replied that no one had a good answer, and what was worse, it was obvious that no one had even put any real thought into it. He was upset, and I couldn't provide any assurance. But a few days later I was more curious. I asked my son why he and his friends went to that council candidates meeting when they are still too young to vote. Because they wanted to ask that question about climate change, he said. They wanted to hear for themselves who was going to stand up for them and make climate change the most important issue for the council to act on. It was their hope that their voices are being heard, that the school climate strikes are being taken seriously, that it's their future and something will be done. That a group of teenagers were there and asked that question has inspired me this young generation gets it. They have heard about climate change all their lives. They accept the science unconditionally. They are asking the right questions and standing up for their future. They are forcing the rest of us to take notice. They are demanding action. They want to avoid the train wreck altogether. They are the hope for all of us. And I'll do everything I can to help them. Dr Andrew Tait is Niwa's Chief Scientist for Climate, Atmosphere and Hazards.