Kia ora
Welcome to “The Change Makers” – our weekly video series.
In this series our Change Makers share their stories, their thoughts, their ambitions and their actions to leave the earth a better place – to be a Good Ancestor to future generations.
Our planet is experiencing catastrophic environmental harm and it requires us to Think Long Term, beyond our lifetimes, to evaluate our choices and to take actions to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for all.
The stories of those leading the change – The Change Makers – those thinking and acting with long-term vision, are inspirational.
Inspired, we can ask ourselves, “what can we do to be Better Ancestors?”
This week, Better Ancestors visits with Dave Lowe, Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand.
For two weeks in November 2021, the world’s leaders have focused on climate change at COP26 in Glasgow, but Dave Lowe’s journey with the atmosphere began in 1970 as a 23-year-old physics graduate.
Dave made the first measurements of carbon dioxide levels in New Zealand and the data he collected at Baring Head became a vital part of the science that underpins our understanding of Atmospheric Chemistry, Atmospheric Physics and the impact human industrial scale activity is having on earth’s systems.
The Keeling Curve data-set (the name pays homage to American, Charles David Keeling whose research into changes of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere was ground breaking) is possibly the most complete and graphic indicator of the harm we are doing to our home - and the signpost to the only real solution - stop polluting the atmosphere with green-house gases.
“I think everyone’s aware now that the climate is changing very rapidly, but this is a horror I’ve had to live with for over 50 years,” Lowe says.
Can we turn the tide?
“The thing that Covid-19 has taught us was that when there’s an existential threat that’s in your face, human beings can collectively get up and do some remarkable things. And in the same way, human beings can get to grips with global heating and dramatically reduce carbon emissions. We know how to do this.”
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