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How do we decide what is important?

Hamish Blair
May 16, 2017
4 min read

How far ahead do you look when making a decision? My diary is consulted regularly, however when it comes to planning I rarely lift my head beyond the next few days - the weekend just gone being a prime example with my girlfriend and I discovering with joy on Friday night that we had no plans. Thinking from a wider perspective I am certainly somewhat more economically prepared, aware of what is coming in and going out of my bank account over the next few weeks and months (although knowledge isn’t always power). And from a social and political aspect I can certainly say that founding de-CO has widened the lens through which I look. I find this useful in these times when we are encouraged, almost forced, to look directly in front of our noses. From the 2015 UK election to Brexit to the election of Trump, and now to another UK election, people are bounced from one decision and responsibility to the next. And this has all been in the space of 2 years! When do we get to draw breath?

Consider for a moment what is the most pressing issue for voters, for you, in the imminent UK election. Is it Brexit? The NHS? Leadership credentials? According to the Government, contesting parties and most media outlets these are the really hot potatoes on which the electorate will be making their decision come 2nd June. And rightly so, to a degree - these are issues that will be affecting us all and very soon; Article 50 has been triggered and the 24-month clock is ticking. The NHS appears to be at ultimate straining point with wait times reaching a shocking 4 hours or more for over 2.5 million people in need of cancer treatments, routine operations and A&E visits.

Now I ask you for a moment to stop and mentally take a step back. Widen your perspective from where we are being actively encouraged to look at the moment, and consider a picture bigger than the next 2, 5 or even 10 years. What do you think the world in which we live will be like in 2030? Brexit will already be consigned to the pages of history with new governments will be in place in countries around the world. Hopefully renewable energy will be the dominant energy source globally, but this may already be too late for the Maldives who are perilously close to disappearing altogether. The icecaps of the Arctic and Antarctic will potentially be even smaller (already these caps show more ‘new ice’ than ever before). Global temperatures will shoot way past the 2𒎓° threshold set at the Paris Climate Accord if they continue on the same rate of growth as we have seen over the past decade. The effects of the issues that are currently dominating our news channels, papers and social media feeds will be forgotten, irrelevant and inconsequential in the face of the global upheaval that climate change has the potential to wrought.

If that sounds worrying then that is because it is. And the reason for mapping out such a gloomy view of the coming years is because we have a chance to make a difference right now. The subject of climate change, the environment and all that is tied into it is not on the lips of politicians at the moment. We need to ask why this is. We need to ask our MP’s and parties what is their stance on renewable energy versus fossil fuels - where will they invest? Will they ban fracking? Will they look at energy systems of the future because the current model will not sustain us? What will they do to ensure the UK meets its renewable energy targets by 2025, and total energy targets for an ever-growing population? Get in touch with your MP, ask questions of those who say they are in the know, make a difference.

And most of all, you need to think carefully about why you want to vote. Because we as a people will live with the actions of those that we elect, and those actions may reach far into our lifetime and the lives of our children. Vote, and vote for the right reasons.

In conclusion, this is a politically-focused blog post for the very reason that politics has a big part to play in our future right now. The UK’s climate policy must be questioned and clarified at the moment, and renewable energy must be at the fore of it. Only this way will lead us to a more sustainable future and better world in which to live. Positive changes are happening - global carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels has flat-lined for three years, increasing numbers of countries are reporting days, weeks and months running on renewable energy, and there are united international efforts to protect rainforests, ecosystems and species. The concept of marginal gains - multiple small adjustments which add up to significant results - could not be more apt. Each of us can do our part.

I will leave you with one of the foremost examples of technology and application coming together in a way not previously expected. In Oak Ridge, Tennessee, scientists have discovered a method by which they can turn carbon dioxide directly into ethanol. That’s right, they have found out how to make alcohol out of thin air. And apparently it was an accident, probably at 11.30pm after a few chilled drinks.