Dear Fraser,
I pray you listen.
Regret. They say to live a life without it.
I write today, the 4th of March 2100, on my 95th birthday, knowing this to be one of my last.
I write quivering with regret.
To my younger self, I wish I could tell:
Those foolish choices I made so well
Would rise again in my final days
To haunt my thoughts in everlasting ways.
To my younger self, I wish I could tell:
How damn much this world needed my care,
But arrogance and ignorance clouded my mind,
Leaving compassion and hope behind.
It was off from Glasgow I duly set,
To Australia’s sun that kissed my neck.
My life was made I foolishly thought,
Ignoring the impact my actions brought.
If I’d just understood the 5.1 tonnes of C02 I left behind,
Such a heavy mark on god’s green earth
Just seventy-two pounds, not a costly price
Could’ve offset the damage of my long-haul flight
One single tree after 40 years life,
Can pull 3.7 tonnes back in his earth
If only I tried, if only I’d cared
A lighter footprint I might have spared.
((https://www.makeitwild.co.uk/carbon-emissions-calculator)
The 2030 Agenda, well it did not lie
Sustainable consumption a simple change to try .
Reduce, reuse, recycle each day
(https://sdgs.un.org/topics/sustainable-consumption-and-production)
No room for waste, I should have thought
Food to fashion, the small steps a start
From the rooftops I wish I screamed,
A third of food wasted – WE ALL MUST CHANGE
For after all, it’s for nature’s sake
(https://www.wwf.org.uk/better-basket)
How lazy I was, I took the bus each day
A simple walk could have cleared the way.
University they tried: “recycle, re-use” they preached
But still ignored what they beseeched.
(https://www.qut.edu.au/about/priorities/sustainability)
2.5°C warming by 2100, the UN so right
But such simple steps, bring massive change
Turn off the lights, ride that bike with pride
For the fossil fuel responsible for 14% global emissions- lets turn that tide.
(https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal13)
(https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-solutions/reduce-greenhouse-gases)
Brisbane it offers such power and hope,
Public transport a perfect approach
Use your voice and expand the green,
For we need half of our cities, lush, wide and green
(https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11)
For I am the future, and I must warn:
Plant that tree, and walk the mile
Lets keep it green for a little more while,
The greener life is still in reach
But you MUST, practice what we all preach.
Love from Fraser, in the year 2100
P.S. Please open summer 2025
