Everyone knows what the hardest conversation you will have as a parent is. But what about the hardest conversation when you are a Grandparent. I reckon the below might cover it.
| Grandchild | “So when you were young, Grandad, the world used to dig oil, coal and gas out of the ground and burn it to make energy. That process was inefficient and most of the energy was lost as heat. You had wars over it, global financial markets were dependent on it, yet burning it killed millions of people due to air pollution and millions more have died and been forced from their homes because of the greenhouse gases released and resultant climate change. And that is not to mention the thousands of animal species that have gone extinct due to the 4% temperature rise. Why did the world do that when all the energy the planet could ever need is available from up there?” |
| Grandchild points to the sun. | |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Early solar technology was available in the 1950s wasn’t it? And that was about the same time that scientists predicted that burning oil, coal and gas would cause global warming, wasn’t it? So why didn’t the world stop using fossil fuels knowing the damage they caused?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad, did you used to eat steak and burgers made from cows? I learned in school that cows produce methane, a gas 4 times more damaging to the environment than CO2, especially when produced in huge volumes like on industrial farms. Is that right, Grandad?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Did people really cut down over a trillion trees to make space for crops to feed those cows and other farmed animals, when eating those crops yourself would have provided far more energy for people and considerably less greenhouse gas emissions? And aren’t trees the primary natural source of CO2 absorption on the planet?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad, is it right that no new antibiotics have been developed since you were a boy in the 1980s? Was that why existing bacteria and viruses became resistant to them causing people to die from previously curable diseases?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Why did the drug companies not make more antibiotics? Was it because they concentrated on other drugs, such as anti-obesity pills and hair-loss remedies, that made them more profits and fed celebrity-obsessed culture in 2020?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Is it right that your generation continued to spread into new habitats in the 21st century exposing themselves to new diseases from animals, which led to numerous worldwide pandemics killing millions?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad, you must have had a wardrobe full of clothes when you were young! I wish I did. Did you wear them all? I was told that people in the UK in 2020 bought about 30 items of clothing a year, but only ever wore about half of them with almost 3/4s of them ending up in landfill rather than being recycled. That can’t be true, can it? Especially as more than 50% of modern slavery in 2020 was in the fashion industry, wasn’t it?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad, is it true that you could buy a T-shirt in 2020 for £4? That’s weird when today in 2050 the cheapest T-shirt costs more like £40. Is that perhaps because the real cost of the T-shirt is being paid for by my generation and not yours?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Wasn’t the fashion industry responsible for more climate change emissions than all of aviation and shipping combined in 2020? Didn’t it waste millions of litres of fresh water and was responsible for putting millions of tonnes of microplastics in the sea?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad, didn’t you used to drive that big diesel 4×4 when you were younger? Why did you drive that when you lived in central London and never used it off-road? Were there no electric cars available in 2020?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad, how often did you and Grandma fly to your holiday house in Spain when you were younger? Did you go and see Uncle David in Australia each year or did he fly to you? My teacher told me that travelling in planes and petrol and diesel cars in 2020 contributed almost 30% of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Surely she is wrong otherwise you wouldn’t have done it, right?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad. What was your job in 2020? Mummy told me you worked in a bank and made lots of money. That must have been great. But what did you do to save the environment and prevent climate change?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad?” |
| Grandad | “…” |
| Grandchild | “Grandad…?” |
If you are likely to be a grandparent in 2050 like me, I beg you please give some thought to your response to your grandchild’s final question now.