Helen Mandeno: A Real Climate Catastrophe

Mahala squats in a smoke-filled hut cooking her mielie meal for her three children.  Coughing racks her frail body.  No school today for the kids – dysentery again.  Somehow Mahala must find the strength to walk the long journey for more animal manure to keep her fire going and to fill her one water pot.  She has no life expectancy.  She has no ‘life’.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Evie finishes writing her sign.  It states “climate emergency – catastrophe for my generation”.  She decides to change again – “I don’t want to look over-dressed”.  Her Mum has promised to drop her off at the park in her SUV as she goes to yoga.   Evie has a party tonight to celebrate a friend’s 18^th birthday.  The party is on her dad’s super yacht.

The difference is stark.  Evie’s world had unfettered access to coal, oil and gas.  Mahala’s world has been denied the use of their considerable natural resource.

Helen Mandeno: Current Concerns down on the Farm

My family has a problem. We have sheep and cattle on our farm that emit methane. We are told regularly we will have to cut our emissions. If we don’t, the bill will be bigger than we can afford. The threat forced us to do some reading. We had been told all scientists agree – methane is a very big problem. But we studied the issue and found something very different. The latest science surprised us, even concerned us, leading us into a tough dilemma.

What should we do?

We are fighters. We do our homework. We work from a basis of facts and truths. We have to know how stuff works – that is why we are farming and how we farm. It is the only way to be successful – stay up to date with technology and follow the latest science.