Patrick Hockey, Castlemaine
Climate change denial usually takes one of two forms: active or passive.
Active climate change denial is in rapid decline now due to almost daily reports of unprecedented weather events.
For my part I find the passive kind of denial much more concerning. Why, for instance, are the natural community leaders among us; individuals who were outstanding students and went on to be professionals such as doctors and surgeons, lawyers and judges, teachers and school principals; why are these people so inactive on this issue? Wouldn’t it be the most powerful thing if these people stood up as a collective and made some public statements and started to organise around this issue under the banner of their profession?
In times of crisis we all battle against the ‘bystander effect’, that sense of inertia that inhibits each individual from seeing themselves as a crucial player in the drama. Intellectual rigour though demands that we overcome this effect and see each of ourselves at the centre of this unfolding disaster and recognise our own role as vital, especially if you occupy one of these positions of natural leadership.
