Hope Part 2: 2028 - 2030
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— 2028 —
Hi Joanna,
How are things at the office? Has Fred calmed down since the intern incident?
Paris is an interesting place at the moment! There is a similar atmosphere to 2015, but more so, if that makes sense. Did you know COP21 was one of my first ever foreign assignments? And certainly the first with any sort of environmental focus. How times change. COP34 is looking like it could be the biggest political event this year, and that's even with the US elections coming up.
The Eurostar took us right into the heart of the action straight away. The streets are packed with protestors, as you would expect. They don't seem quite as incensed as usual. In fact, I would hazard to say there is even an atmosphere of hope, given the promising early talks. I think they are here mostly to remind the powers-that-be that they have a responsibility to take action, and that ordinary people really do care. It's refreshing to feel that progress might actually be within reach, after years of ineffectual compromise. Look at me go on, I sound like a protestor myself!
I actually bumped into Harry the other day, and apparently Noah is somewhere in the city too. They are both camping out to protest, using their newfound freedom as unemployed graduates it seems. He seemed well, although he was with a group of friends so didn't want to hang around to chat. I think one of them might have been his girlfriend. He really doesn't tell me anything! But at least we speak from time to time, which is a vast improvement on only a year ago. I am still trying to get through to Noah, but it is slow progress.
They are both in the 'Germany' camp, of course, which is near the Bastille. All the different countries have their own camps, all with their own supplies of food, materials, and so on. Germany is one of the biggest, up there with France, Norway and the UK. I was surprised by how large the US one is too, especially given the black mark over aviation in the eco sphere. I guess the upcoming US election is getting people moving, especially with such a 'progressive' candidate on the table!
Maria is getting plenty of material, interviewing left, right and centre (physically and politically). We stumbled upon the Belgian Energy Minister in an Irish pub (of all places), so I think we might have an 'exclusive' impromptu interview of sorts there. Other than that, the city is bustling with grey-haired men and the odd woman, all in expensive suits, and plenty of gendarmes escorting them everywhere. Bureaucracy in action.
Anyway, let me know how things are with you. And with the allotment, of course – are the tomatoes ripe yet?
Yours,
Bertram x
Hey Bertram,
The tomatoes are not quite ripe – I think they should be perfect just when you get back, so we can have a nice fresh salad on the roof to celebrate your return! And the office has returned to more-or-less normal. It turns out the intern's father wasn't Chief of the Met after all, and also turns out asking someone to arrive at work on time isn't a breach of human rights. Who would've guessed it? So yes, Fred has returned to his normal slightly grumpy self, rather than the powder keg he was last week.
Sounds like it's all going down in Paris! I've never actually been there on assignment, only for leisure. I fell in with the art history crowd when I was at uni back in the day, and we all went along to the Louvre… only to be kicked out by security because my friend had a joint in his pocket. Never did get to see the Mona Lisa. I hear it's overrated anyway.
Great that your sons are there, and awesome that they're involved in the climate movement too. Did they take part in the school strikes back when they were in high school, or is this protesting streak a more recent development? And I'm glad your relations with them are still steadily on the up.
Not a whole let else new around here. They're busy digging up the roads all over this area, which means rush hour is a nightmare. Swapping my car for a nice bike last year was a wise move: I can weave in and out of traffic like a dream. The borough council had a public meeting where they showed us their plans: cycle lanes galore, was the main message I took from it! They are also replacing the tarmac with a new porous road surface that should mean the roads won't flood anymore, which seems wise. They're also reinstating reedbeds by the river, which are meant to absorb floodwater too – and attract lots of nice birds at the same time. I saw a kingfisher by Westminster Bridge the other day!
These efforts are all part of the bigger political picture, inevitably. The race to be the next London mayor has just kicked off, and there are more candidates than I can keep track of. It's pretty obvious our current mayor is using all these road projects as a last-ditch effort to get his ratings up. The lead opposition is the usual suspect: he wants to rescind the congestion charge and call for stronger police powers. How novel… I won't go on about it, as I'm sure you'll find it pretty unavoidable once you're back here!
Also, I've signed us up for the allotment co-op scheme. I didn't think you'd mind. It's all done online, and basically means we can 'trade' any excess veg with other growers anywhere in the borough! It seemed sensible given what a glut of courgettes we're expecting. I would like to get more involved in the wider community as well. It's only getting bigger: I often can see people beetling away on four other rooftop allotments, all visible from our nice spot. Sometimes I wave to them.
Give me a call when you're back and we can get that salad sorted. I have a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that I think would pair excellently.
Joanna x
— 2029 —
Hi Joanna,
I am missing you from Mina. It is blisteringly hot here, but thankfully this 'tented city' has come up with an ingenious solution to keep the temperatures down. The tents are all coated in solar paint, which connects to power cells that run vast air conditioning units. Using the sun to protect from the sun – ingenious! It sounds like science fiction, but it all seems to work like a dream.
The Hajj pilgrims mainly get here in the morning and leave in the early evening. The middle of the day is just simply too hot to be outside, hotter than anyone remembers. These tents really are an oasis. I can barely contemplate braving the sun for more than a few minutes.
The climate change argument seems to have finally got traction throughout Saudi Arabia, now that this great pilgrimage is threatened. The imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, no less, has just given a speech on the subject, which is completely unprecedented. It looks like this might be something of a wake-up call for the country, which is still the world's biggest oil exporter by a large margin. Can they find another export to keep the income flowing in, I wonder? Maybe they could turn to solar energy, like some of their neighbours. It may turn into a tug-of-war between faith and politics, but for once in history, faith is not the side calling for things to stay the same.
Considering her Spanish roots, Maria does not fare well in the heat. She is spending most of her time as close to the air con as possible, which makes getting an article together difficult. It is up to me to traipse around camp looking for people to interview. I found one elderly man who had a lot to say, mostly recollections of dubious authenticity. He says he remembers the 1990 stampede, lost his brother to it in fact. It made me think of what I was doing in 1990, and then I remembered it was the year I met Enya. We were only teenagers at the time. Everyone thought we were just being young and foolish when we got together. Over twenty years later, we were still going strong! 'Till death do us part' was true enough. But, you know, recalling her now brings fondness more than pain. What a joy to have spent so much of my life with her.
What's new in sunny England? Has the drought there broken yet, or is everything still parched? And how are your parents? I remember you said you were meeting up with them in the Lake District at the weekend. That must be glorious, if it's cool enough to walk around.
Yours,
Bertram x
Hey Bertram,
Blimey, it sounds toasty! Amazing to hear that they're making the use of the latest tech, though. I must admit, 'solar paint' sounds a bit far-fetched, but I've just looked it up and apparently it's been around for years! Ridiculous that all this technology exists, but we barely seem to use it.
I've just got back from the Lakes. Mum and Dad are doing pretty well. They don't walk as far as they used to but they're still good and active, happily hiking up the smaller hills. We took a rowing boat out on one of the smaller meres the other day, which was divine – but we were glad to have sunscreen! There's been no sign of rain yet, but there's some forecast for next week.
The Lake District itself looks nothing like I remember it. There are trees all over large swathes of it, for a start! It seems everywhere I go these days, there are more and more trees. At first I wasn't sure about it – the Old Man of Coniston, for instance, looks nothing like the craggy fell I remember from my childhood – but it actually does make for a more interesting landscape. Plus, the saplings lend a bit of shade which makes walking more comfortable, now the paths are no longer along exposed hillsides. You can almost sense them all sucking carbon from the air as you go past.
I managed to get all the way there by train as well, which was a nice surprise. They've reopened a lot of the rural train stations up in the north that got closed down in the 60s. The project is only about halfway there, but now that petrol is so expensive and there are such strict caps on train ticket prices, they're already very popular. Even the carriage to the little miners' village where we were staying was full of people!
I went to check on the allotment this morning, the first time since I got back, and I must say it is suffering from the heat. I am watering it as much as I can, but the rainwater butts are all dry, and the hosepipe ban is still in place. So it's labouring back and forth with a watering can for me, which is quite hard work. I had asked that bloke with the rhubarb pots to water our patch while we were both away, but he told me he's put his back out – mighty suspicious, since I saw him lugging wheelbarrows about today! I'll be glad of your help once you're back.
Take care in the heat – plenty of water, sunscreen, hat, the works. I care about you.
Joanna x
— 2030 —
Hi Joanna,
How is Brazil? I do not like what I hear in the news, so I hope you are staying safe.
My assignment is far more mundane, but nonetheless important. Maria and I are travelling around the UK, interviewing and photographing all the key players that have helped the nation smash its 2030 climate targets. Halved our emissions from 1990, how about that! Although as Harry points out, Germany passed that benchmark a couple of years ago… In fact, compared to lots of European countries, we do not look quite so outstanding, but I am taking this moment to focus on the positives.
We are interviewing a bewilderingly wide range of people for this feature article. Of course, there are the politicians who are enjoying the limelight, but then there are also academics, civil servants, financiers, industry executives, and a smattering of charitable bodies too. A huge mixture!
It is interesting to see the different motivations that led people to pursue these targets. Some talk about 'saving the environment' and 'mother nature', much as you would expect, but there are plenty of more pragmatic (or perhaps cynical) approaches too. We met one banker who kept on talking about avoiding stranded assets in fossil fuels; a CEO who talked about maintaining multilateral trade; an engineer who talked about investment opportunities. All quite dry, but it finally feels like everyone might be on the same page. I am very much looking forward to Maria's article.
As you might imagine, we are doing most of our travel by train, sometimes several journeys in one day. I caught the new HS3 line for the first time, which took me from Liverpool to Leeds in no time. Do you remember the furore over HS2, a decade or so ago? All kinds of terrible planning decisions, churning up ancient woodlands and so on. Such a shame when it could have been such a good environmental win! However, it looks like they learnt their lesson, because this line seems to have sprung up with minimal fuss, and I hear has helped take plenty of cars off the road. The north was overdue some new infrastructure, that's for sure.
I mentioned Harry earlier – he has just moved to Brighton, to work for an environmental NGO. We were down there to interview the head of his organisation, so it was extremely easy to meet up. He showed me round Brighton, and I must admit the city is looking beautiful. They have always been ahead of the game with environmental measures, but now it really shows: huge 'living walls' of foliage covering entire terraces; only bikes and little electric vehicles in the streets; parks and verges full of wildflowers, buzzing with insect life. Of course, we also spent some time on the beach and walking down the promenade. It's still the same old Brighton, after all. I even bought a stick of candyfloss for my son, for the first time in about twenty years!
I also bumped into Raymond up in Sheffield. He asked after you! He is loving his retirement, getting in plenty of travel, even putting together some sort of memoir. His working title is 'Ray of Hope' – he never was one for modesty! He showed me round his own allotment too. I don't like to brag, but I think ours is considerably better. Certainly I thought his carrots seemed a bit meagre, although I didn't say anything. Those fertiliser tips from Karen from Bed 4 really paid off.
On another note, I may have procured tickets for a certain theatre show I remember you mentioning… Will you be free on the 20th? I saw them on sale and thought it could be a pleasant evening. Let's call it a date, if you like.
Bertram x
Hey Bertram!
I'm doing just fine here in Brazil, but there are tensions brewing. The UN Peacekeepers are out in force on the streets of Brasilia. Not their usual remit, and the whole approach seems very heavy-handed. I do wonder if the UN has got too overbearing for its own good in recent years. If you want a country to stop deforesting its rainforest, surely you just embargo its products – not send in the troops?? The US, for instance, is condemning the deforestation but simultaneously buying huge amounts of Brazilian beef, which is one of the leading causes of deforestation. Totally hypocritical.
The Blue Helmets are here mostly to twist the Brazilian President's arm, getting him to hand over forest ownership to the indigenous communities that have lived there for centuries. They’re very well-practised at taking care of it, after all. Various charities have been trying to do the same thing for years, but nothing on this scale has ever been attempted. The UN can't physically stop deforestation, as it's spread out over a massive area – but they might just embarrass the government into submission.
Despite its anti-democratic overtones, a surprising portion of the population here seems to support the UN's tactics. My guide Ana was telling me about how people have been 'reconnecting with nature' in recent years, she says mainly due to changes in education. Certainly in Brasilia, field trips into the forest have become commonplace, and funded by the government too.
Natural heritage has always been a huge deal in these parts. Ana is mostly of Portuguese heritage but also has distant indigenous relatives who still live a subsistence lifestyle in the forest. They used to be close to the city when she was a child, she told me, but have had to retreat further into the Amazon basin when the loggers came. There's not a whole lot of rainforest left close to Brasilia now, but there are some parts where regrowth is happening. The forest takes a long time to get back to what it was – thousands of years, some scientists say – but it all helps lock carbon away, which is what we need right now.
Onto your news – amazing about those UK goals being met! I've heard a lot of it is down to Artificial Intelligence in recent years – supercomputers that tell you how to decrease fossil fuel usage whilst maintaining a good quality of life. One of my nerdy computer friends told me it has come up with some answers nobody even thought of – nitty-gritty changes to housing law, for instance, that only a specialised lawyer could begin to comprehend. But apparently it makes all the difference! I wonder if one day all our big decisions will be made by an all-knowing computer? There must be a sci-fi film about that.
Brighton sounds lovely, and wonderful you got to see Harry too. I'd like to meet him for myself sometime. Any news from Noah recently? And great to hear Raymond's doing well! I had no doubt he'd take to retirement like a fish to water – he certainly makes it his mission to get the most out of life, that's for sure.
Theatre tickets, you say! That sounds fantastic. It's in my diary. I'll buy dinner beforehand? And yes, let's absolutely call it a date, you silly man. We've beaten about the bush long enough.
Joanna x