Although winter is coming, my Christmas poem focuses on some of the environmental issues we have had to deal with. Let’s not forget them this Christmas.
It’s nearly Christmas,
So where’s the snow?
Let’s ask Santa,
He might know.
What a year
We all have had.
Hope next year’s better,
It can’t be this bad.
I want to say
We learned a lot.
But I’m not so sure,
As we soon forgot…
Forgot about…
the climate struggle.
Our busy lives
We’ve had to juggle.
Forgot that animals
Are dwindling and dying.
That floods and heat waves
Left many crying.
Forgot how vegetation
Is thinning out,
That many suffer
From devastating drought.
Yes it’s Christmas,
And that’s just great.
But please remember
What’s on everyone’s plate.
These were my brief thoughts on this year. It definitely feels like we have forgotten about climate change and its impending destruction. I hope that when people are swept away with Christmas joy, they still think about spending their time being considerate to the environment.
No need for lots of one use only packaging and endless flights. Let’s celebrate in a more humble way and enjoy each other’s company whilst recognising that we need to find ways to be more sustainable throughout every season.
As my new book is now a week old, I thought I would share another extract from it. This story is about two teenagers who are about to do their A-Levels when they come across a derelict country house. From that moment on their lives change for the worse as they cannot escape a feeling of constantly being watched.
Here is the snippet:
It was getting close to twilight when I called out to mum.
“I’m off to hang out with Max.”
“Alright, remember your key,” she yelled back as I undid the door that linked the garage to the kitchen.
I had picked up some crisps and other vital supplies on my way down and squeezed a bottle of lemonade into my rucksack before picking up my bike. I took a deep breath and was just about to leave when my phone started ringing. It was Max.
“Sorry man, I can’t make it,” he said with a frog in his throat. “You know how much I wanna be there. My throat has flared up and I have just been sick.”
“Oh man. That sucks,” I said shrugging my shoulders.
“Can we do it tomorrow instead?” he said with a genuine sound of someone who was not well.
“Don’t worry. We got this,” I said, putting the phone down and opening the garage up. I wheeled my bike out, clicked off the light and pulled the door down behind me. Taking a deep breath, I switched on my lights and took off.
My first stop would be the local shop. I needed to see if they had any garlic, just in case it was a vampire. Ok this was a long shot, but you have to be prepared for everything right? As I zoomed through the aisles, I soon set eyes on a clove of garlic and chucked it into my basket. Nearby they sold kitchen knives so I thought I may as well get one of those too. It would take the place of a stake just in case I needed to stick whatever was in there in its chest.
Maybe I was getting too carried away and this was starting to be me acting out my favourite movies a little, but I knew Siobhan would be pleased that I had taken precautions. To my surprise, when I got to the checkout, the cashier asked me for ID as she said I could only buy a knife if I had proof of age. Of course, that was one thing I had forgot to bring with me so I gave her the knife back and paid for the garlic. I also grabbed some cheap chocolate buttons to add to my supplies. I knew Siobhan had a soft spot for them and we might both need some instant energy during our mission. Especially if things got really scary.
I threw that idea to the back of my thoughts and got back on my bike. I didn’t want to be late and leave her waiting for me at the top of that hill. My feet ached a little as I had done some cricket practise earlier. Every time I turned the pedals they reminded me that I had fallen over trying to catch a long ball. Eventually I neared the top of the road and could see her stood next to her bike, earphones on, staring at her phone. She waved when she caught a glimpse of me.
“Hey, what took you so long?” she jested, knowing full well that we were both early.
“What you listening to?” I asked as I got off my bike and sidled up with her.
“Shawn Mendes. What else?” she replied, as if to say it was obvious.
“You know Max can’t make it? He came over sick.”
“That guy is sick. For sure,” she laughed, not really meaning it in a bad way, but equally not referring to him being cool either.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked, nervously.
Thank you for taking the time to read this short extract from my YA drama, Being Watched.
I had a political morning today, meeting one of the UK Prime Minister candidates, where I was able to ask him about environmental policies. Just as I left that meeting, I was happy to see the first post from our brand new ‘Climate Change Collective’ group of bloggers. Brilliant!
Michelle and I originally had a conversation about creating a group for bloggers who wanted to write about climate change from our different perspectives and ensure it remained at the top of readers’ minds. It is great to see we already have a buzzing group willing to get involved and I cannot wait to see what each writer has to say.
Here is the very first article which focusses on how climate change is gradually affecting our daily lives:
For me, as a geographer, I have always found it hard to convince people that global warming should matter to them and their lives. Michelle has cleverly outlined how it will specifically affect the retirement industry and discussed the impact air pollution is already having on health.
I look at the very flat Fenland area of agricultural land and market towns that is near where I live and worry about its vulnerability. Britain had a record 40 degrees C day in July, which was predicted to happen in twenty years or so. Meteorologists suggest that their initial timeline is redundant as warming has happened much faster than predicted.
If glacial melting is increasing in a feedback loop which is quite unstable, then the Fens could be under water within the next 30 years, as they were centuries ago, prior to drainage. This would destroy homes and demolish one of the largest arable farming patches in Europe.
That would have a massive impact on my life and the lives of many others. There are so many complex aspects to discuss but I do think people have woken up more to climate education, especially after recent turbulent weather occurrences around the world and a drought in the UK. Let’s hope we can bring environmental concerns to the top of government interests.
We can make a difference by urging politicians to invest in renewable energy and make the transport infrastructure much better. I hope that you have time to check out Michelle’s first post and join in with the conversation about climate change and how it is affecting all of us.
