We are trapped.
Heat engulfs me,
day after day,
The furnace prisons me,
Burning every aspect of my being.
I can’t gasp for breath
– It has me.
It glares menacingly.
He knows I’m trapped.
From the humble bee
to the enormity of a whale,
From the vast African savanna
,to the deepest oceans-
We are all trapped.
My family is.
My country is.
The whole world is.
The heat will reach us all
Well, you only brought this on yourself,
Years and years of pouring poison into our atmosphere-
planes,
factories,
technology,
human greed
They have built this boiling planet
Perhaps that’s true,
And perhaps it’s ironic.
That I write these words,
while preparing for a twenty-two-hour flight to Australia.
Releasing four tonnes of carbon dioxide into the sky.
The furnace grows hotter.
One flight –
Almost half of what the average person in the UK emits a year.
Yet it is my dream to travel.
To plant my roots somewhere foreign.
To discover the beauty of Australia.
I cannot help
but feel hopeless.
The heat rises,
but I feel a spark.
It jolts me to action –
What can I do to help our planet?
I know.
I will never be perfect,
But I must try.
Small changes can become something
greater.
Perhaps the furnace will change.
From the UK to Australia,
I must fly.
But once I land,
public transport will carry me forward.
Trains and buses will reveal
Australia’s beauty through their windows.
Instead of driving, poisoning the planet.
I will walk; my feet will guide me.
I will eat more vegetables,
Protecting Mother Earth and
Her animals.
I will buy from farmers’ markets,
my roots are becoming entangled with the community
I will not use AI –
sucking up our planet’s soul.
By using Ecosia, planting trees as I search.
I will reach out to volunteer organisations,
through the university.
The UOWx volunteers will help guide me.
Setting roots somewhere foreign,
finding the beauty of community.
My roots spread to the darkest places.
The furnace grunts in contempt.
I will help wherever I can.
I know I am not perfect.
The furnace still burns.
But one by one –
One piece of litter picked up.
One less piece of meat eaten.
One walk taken.
One hour volunteered.
And slowly,
The furnace begins to cool
References:
https://co2.myclimate.org/en/flight_calculators/new
https://www.carbonindependent.org/23.html
https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/environment/sustainable-living/reduce-waste/second-hand-shopping/accordions/markets
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://www.uow.edu.au/student/uowx/
