April 2019 Climate Change Part 2: Ancient vs Modern

from Pause For Thought: BBC Radio Devon by Kimwei

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To get involved in creating a sustainable future, see the Extinction Rebellion Homepage rebellion.earth

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TRANSCRIPTION: Ancient vs Modern

What will a sustainable future look like? Science fiction loves to show us cities in the clouds and flying cars, or futuristic tribes in a wilderness land, farming and wearing animal skins, whilst technology is long forgotten.
But what is the real life answer? As David Attenborough once said, “Anyone who believes in infinite growth on a finite planet, is either mad, or an economist.” We know that a future which is kind to the earth, will have to be very different.
In my time travelling around Devon, I’ve met many along the way who have chosen a low-impact life and wondered if we could turn to them for answers.
I’ve met super-tramps who can sleep anywhere without a tent or build their own bender at the drop of a willow. One such traveller was Sarah, who at 22 could hitch-hike anywhere, carrying a modest backpack which she’d made herself. You see, Sarah was a specialist in pre-historic living and could survive in the wild for months with nothing but the tools and buckskin clothes she’d made by hand. Life seemed simple for her and in my head I romanticised her wild woman ways. Sarah would then quickly crush my illusions by pulling a Ginsters Pasty out of her backpack.
“Where’d did you get that?” I’d ask, incredulous “I thought you just travelled from organic farming community to organic farming community.”
“Well, yes I do,” she replied “but… via service stations.”
To me, Sarah’s lifestyle highlighted that contrast between what’s ancient and what’s modern. Whilst she knew how to live off the land, she also owned a smartphone and a credit card. The question for us as a species is this: how can we reclaim the relationship with our planet that we’ve all but forgotten, and yet embrace the vital roles that technology can play in our future? Surely our future will rely on both.

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from Pause For Thought: BBC Radio Devon, released January 30, 2017

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