Climate change is real and it is already affecting our lives. Australia is terribly exposed, and we have to act! It’s politically legitimate, if sometimes very disappointing, for our politicians to argue about exactly how we should respond, even the timing. But it is reprehensible to fuel the madness of climate deniers and to promote fear in the community that worthwhile action will somehow destroy our nation’s socio-economic fabric. Leadership is paramount right now. Without solid leadership from the top the unraveling of (already) confused people will take hold. Last year the 1 Million Women Campaign took a stand at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show in the Fashion and Style pavilion. We signed up over 3000 women in 14 days, so the campaign had a great time. Importantly, we had the opportunity to speak to thousands of women. It didn’t surprise me that many women were confused about what to believe in regard to climate change. Nor was I shocked to discover a still relatively small number of outright non-believers. But I was very interested to encounter a lot of frustration, bordering on anger, at the lack of decisive leadership on a critical issue for the 21 st century. I saw I was far from alone in wanting our leaders to just make a plan and stick to it. One year on its getting worse. People want action and a clear direction. We hear a lot about business needing policy certainty, and that’s what people want too. The sad truth is that Australia is still waiting for political leadership on climate change to match the scale of the threat. So is the world! We can’t afford to wait any longer.
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