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New nationwide youth-led lobby group Generation Zero held a public lecture last Wednesday to encourage students to do something about climate change. Held at the St David’s lecture theatre, the venue was almost packed to its 550-person capacity.

The lecture was entitled “Cheer up Bob”, inspired by Energy Studies Lecturer Bob Lloyd’s pessimistic outlook on the global warming crisis, with the intention of giving Bob and the audience hope for the future. Alec the Climate Chicken, presumably Generation Zero’s mascot, was also present.

Bob spoke first, arguing that our economic outlook and the warming climate require contradictory actions from the government. He warned that “if you’re really attached to your current lifestyle, you might get depressed”.

According to Bob, the oil peak occurred in 2006, natural gas will peak in 2020, and coal will peak in 2025 (although some have suggested it could be peaking currently). Bob said that the world currently has unsafe CO2 levels, and in order to reach a safe level, we will need to use no coal after 2030, no unconventional fossil fuels and only conventional oil.

The crux of Bob’s pessimism rests upon the paradox that we need economic growth in order for people to survive, yet economic growth at the same rate as at present is physically impossible. According to Bob, if we continued to grow at the same rate, in 400 years we would have to cover the whole of the world with solar panels to provide enough energy. In 1400 years we would require enough energy as that emitted by the entire sun.

He noted that economic growth was defended with “religious zeal” by politicians and society. Bob pondered the rather depressing question; “Are people actually capable of independent thought?”

In an attempt to cheer up the eponymous Bob, and the (by then) thoroughly disheartened audience, Ashton Kelly, head of Medical Students for Global Awareness, spoke, emphasising that addressing climate change problems was “difficult but not impossible”. He added “behavioural change is just as important as policy change”.
 
The former co-leader of the Green Party Jeanette Fitzsimons, who originally could not be reached as she was hosting a dinner party, addressed the audience over Skype. “It’s very hard to avoid getting depressed if you think you’re alone. But you’re not alone”. She encouraged the audience to plan, act, and link up with others who feel the same way, and urged the audience to challenge their consumerism and to ridicule their opponents. Fitzsimons also emphasised that using renewable energy was only worthwhile if we cease using fossil fuels, as otherwise it makes no difference. “We haven’t got time to waste by changing lightbulbs”.

Louis Chambers, Law student and head of the Generation Zero movement in Dunedin, concluded the speeches. He commented that we are currently in a time of change and encouraged the audience to be proactive. “We don’t want you guys to get away with a bunch of speeches who said some nice stuff and an audience that just sits there”. Chambers noted that the student movement would be particularly surprising to politicians, given that students “are usually so useless”.

Chambers aptly summed up the evening; “This isn’t about politics, this isn’t about loving nature. This is about a future that’s not shit”.

To find out more about Generation Zero and how you can get involved, email Louis on dunedin@generationzero.org.nz or visit their website generationzero.org.nz