The water reflects the cloudless sky. The sand is pliant and warm. There are water dragons perched watchfully, and brush turkeys scratch around for undiscovered snacks. Stick your head below the surface and there’s a whole new ecosystem to explore. In Pokémon Go style, its easy to get lost in the quest to find interesting and unique marine creatures. Did you know blue gropers, the fish emblem of New South Wales, like to play with divers? Did you know that Shelly Beach, a stone’s throw from the metropolis of Sydney city, is actually a nursery for juvenile Dusky Whaler sharks? Swim in autumn and you’re likely to be accompanied by a fleet of baby sharks, enough to rid anyone of an irrational fear of the toothy predators. Some days you might see a giant cuttlefish. A spectacular colour changing cephalopod the size of an average dog, which adorns the world for only 1 to 2 years before breeding and dying.
Nature is marvellous. Sydney nature is particularly wonderful. I find it difficult to devote enough time to immersing myself in the natural world, as my primary calling is as a Physician. I work as a Neurologist by day, but having discovered the wonders of Sydney’s oceans some years ago, I spend increasing amounts of time on trying to protect our natural environment. I attend rallies, I start petitions, I write to politicians, I share the grim science on social media and I volunteer for politicians with Green credentials. Lately, it all seems to be futile. And today, the sucker punch came in the form of a final green light for the Adani coal mine. No matter that this spells almost certain extinction for the black throated finch, that it threatens groundwater for entire ecosystems, that the coal produced will on its own use up 0.5% of the entire planet’s remaining carbon budget. No matter that the subsequent warming of the earth which will subsequently follow will destroy our greatest natural asset, the Great Barrier Reef, and with it the economy and livelihoods of many Queenslanders. Our government seems singleminded in their quest to open this economically unviable and destructive mine.
Our wild places, our suburban greenery and bird life, our fresh air – these are not only beautiful, and with value in their own right – they are also vitally important to human health. Multiple studies have confirmed that exposure to the natural world improves physical health and happiness, improves self esteem in children, and allows mental health to flourish. We are nature, and we need nature. I often prescribe my patients exercise, but not mindless repetitions in a sterile gym; instead walking or swimming outside, perhaps accompanied by some bird watching for mindfulness. But for how long will this still remain an option? We face rising air pollution, plastics in our water, extreme weather events and a loss of our wild places. We are at a time in human history that is unmatched by the past. Just in my short lifetime, we have put into the atmosphere
more than half of all carbon dioxide emissions ever to be released. Over the last decade we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century. We are destroying our own home, for want of making a few rich men even richer, and for small conveniences and fleeting usefulness.
Please, turn away from your day job and do two things. Engage in the natural world, remind yourself what we are losing. Go and swim with the majestic sharks at Shelly Beach. And then start fighting for the voiceless mass of life and supports that makes up the ecosystems we live in. Sign the petitions, attend the rallies, write to politicians. We have very little time, and everything to lose.