On the Edge

Today I feel like we are on the edge of civilization collapse more than any other day in my life. Western Australia recorded the 8th hottest Summer on record (http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/season/wa/summary.shtml) It was a brutal Summer as an environmental contractor. I witnessed many tree deaths in the suburban bushlands. Many smaller native plants, adapted to hotter weather, scorched to a crisp. Streams and lakes are bone dry or very polluted with algae. The soil is dusty and neglected, and invaded by chemical resistant weeds. The level of illegal dumping and litter is unprecedented, now surgical masks are everywhere. If this is how we prepare for a health issue, I do not know how well we will go in the future. We are constantly diverted from the real issue, pollution. Pollution is not mentioned in the media often anymore, or in politics. But pollution is everywhere, it in your body, in your blood, in your lungs, its on your surfaces, you make pollution, you are part of the problem. This is why we do not want to look at the issue. We have been raised into being life long polluters as a normality. Unless you change and we all have to change, we are writing our own death sentence. But we are not changing, we are getting worse. We are ignoring peoples messages like Greta Thunburg, David Suzuki, and most importantly, Captain Planet. Our governments have stopped listening to the citizens and only have an ear for corporations and profiteering. We are not heading in the right trajectory for a sustainable future for the next generations. We are not learning from our mistakes. Ignoring them. I am One. I am a polluter. I am ashamed. I try to change as much as I can. But it feels impossible now not to pollute. You pollute in your car to drive to the shops or markets to buy produce. We as a house hold, reduced meat consumption, have barnyard chickens laying eggs and veggie and herb garden plots and plots, but this is still costly getting set up. I drive an average 100km a day for work, trying to help the environment as a career to pay "the rent". I pollute because our house is reliant on electricity from Gas and Coal rather Solar and Wind. We try not to by plastic but it is hard. We recycle to the best of our ability and utilize cardboard for mulching. We have goals and asperations to be less pollutant but it is hard when you are placed in this society that does not reward less pollution, in a way it rewards your lack of care and its ability to turn a blind eye from your global environmental responsibility and civic duty for the future generation. This is a new pollution, it started in 2021. People losing, littering, leaving their "Mask" in the public and nature spaces. This series of photos where taken in 21 days. It feels like we replaced plastic bags with face masks. These masks do not just bio degrade, they break down into smaller particles and enter the water system eventually. Photos Curtesy of Sarah . D