Time of Useful Consciousness: Acting Urgently on Climate Change

Description

Our climate is changing, in ways that will have long-term impacts for us and for our children. Yet still we fail to take meaningful action. Why? And when will it be too late? Ralph Chapman argues that we have only 'a small and shrinking window of time' before the pressures from climate change become too great for us to address them coherently. This BWB Text is a practical call to arms for New Zealand citizens and policy-makers alike, identifying actions that are urgent and critical for the creation of a green economy and a sustainable future.

Dr Ralph Chapman is Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Programme in Environmental Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He is a frequent writer and speaker on the policy implications of climate change for New Zealand, particularly in the areas of energy, transport, housing and urban policies. His experience includes being a negotiator of the Kyoto Protocol for the New Zealand government. Ralph was a member of the research team which was presented with the 2014 Prime Minister's Science Prize.