Clive Hamilton
Introductory lecture launching
Requiem for a Species
“Requiem for a Species magnificently captures the idea that, by and large, none of us want to believe that climate change is real. It explains our inability to seriously weigh the evidence of climate change, and to take appropriate action to ensure our own survival.”
Tim Costello, CEO, World Vision Australia
‘Hamilton's deconstruction of climate denial and its consequences is devastating. Listen to this Requiem and weep, if it helps. False hope is as dangerous as despair, but don't get mired in helplessness. Requiem is a call to arms; to the urgent task of overhauling democracy in pursuit of survival. At stake, the biggest prize of all: our own humanity.’
Prof. Tim Jackson, author of Prosperity Without Growth
- The global growth in greenhouse gas emissions is much higher than anticipated a few years ago and the world is now on a warming path that is worse than the worst-case scenario. Absent a dramatic change of fortune, this will yield warming of 4°C or more before the end of the century, a temperature not seen for 15 million years. Within the next several years enough warming will be locked into the system to set in train positive feedback processes that will overwhelm human attempts to cut back on carbon emissions.
- Our ability to adapt physically to a warming globe will depend also on how well we adapt psychologically. Many will experience threats related to the well-being and survival of their descendants; the state of the planet, its natural wonders and biological diversity; and the stability and progress of the societies in which they live. “Waking up” to the dangers of a warming globe generates emotions including fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, anguish, sadness, depression and helplessness. Our coping strategies are then either maladaptive or adaptive, and it is important to distinguish between the two.