Heroes Not Zombies

Many years ago I came across this little pool of water with oil spread across its surface. I was entranced by the beauty of it, and I still am. It looks like a colourful map of the atmosphere, or of temperature flows over the surface of the Earth. It immediately reminded me of one of the very first experiments we did in Chemistry class at High School – the lesson was entitled “A little goes a long way”. First we put a few grains of potassium permanganate into a huge glass tub filled with water and watched in amazement as the purple rapidly spread from a tiny dot to colour the entire tank of water. Then we were given talc to sprinkle on top of the water in another big glass tub. It quickly spread out to cover the entire surface with a thin film of greyish white powder. We then dropped a single drop of oil onto the talc and in an instant the oil pushed every grain of talc out to the edges of the tub instantly “clearing” the water’s surface. You can tell how impressed I was…..this was when I was 12 years old and I’m 66 now!

In the years since I was at school, and even in the decade and half or so since I took this photo, we’ve become much more aware of climate change and the impact of carbon consumption on the whole planet. So, now I look at this beautiful image and I see an addiction. The addiction of industrialised humanity to oil. I think you’re probably aware by now of just how much countries have subsidised the big oil companies and how they continue to do so. You’re probably also aware of the massive lobbying efforts of Big Oil to persuade politicians to continue to support them, and to resist calls to reduce carbon consumption. Here in France a couple of years ago a government proposal to slightly increase the tax on petrol and diesel led to an outpouring of anger and the creation of the “Gilets Jaunes” movement, with roundabouts occupied throughout the country, motorways blocked, toll stations burnt to the ground, and refineries blockaded. The Saturday city demos continued right up until Covid struck. The protestors complaints spiralled in all directions but it was the increase in the price of oil which sparked the whole movement.

Clearly we are not going to be able to kick our oil addiction unless we simultaneously address poverty, low wages, inequality and economic insecurity. But we are also going to have to develop and spread non-carbon or low-carbon alternatives as quickly and as much as we can. I suppose that’s at the heart of the proposals in many countries for a “Green New Deal” – at least in principle.

I’m a big fan of “biomimicry” which is the creation of technologies which emerge from learning about how things work in Nature. Nature, after all, does not create waste or pollution. Trees absorb the carbon dioxide from the air, and send out oxygen for us all to breathe. We need to learn how to be more like the other creatures and living organisms on the this planet…..thriving without creating pollution or destroying the ecosystem.