Dear Climate-KIC Community,
As I head off for my annual break, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the year that has been, give thanks to you for your ongoing support and recognise the efforts of my team.
There has never been a more important time for climate action. As I write this, Sydney is in a haze of smoke as fires continue to burn across NSW, QLD and Victoria. The drought persists and temperature records continue to be broken across the country. Ironically the threat of floods and cyclones is ever present in our Top End. Positively such conditions seem to have dissipated residual equivocation about the reality of climate change – at least in the Community.
In the media, calls for action on climate change have become peppered with terms such as hope, emergency, crisis. We at Climate-KIC Australia are in solidarity with the sense of urgency that this language attaches to dealing with climate challenge. However, in 2019, the two dominant terms I use in meeting people across the country and globe are: systemic and transformational.
These words synthesise the challenge and pave a path for solutions. Systemic describes the interconnections of our economic, environment and social systems. Advocates of climate change action understand the integrated nature of the challenge. Transformational dispels the myth that we can solve climate change incrementally. We need to find the courage to re-imagine how society can be carbon zero in a generation’s time and the wit to make this transformation desirable.
My optimism for the future is boosted, in no small way, by the qualities of the people associated with Climate-KIC Australia – you our community and my team. Community engagement sits at the core of the Climate-KIC Australia model. Our collective achievements are outlined in our Annual Report for FY18/19, which we are launching today.
It is clear that we have no more than a decade to avert the most serious impacts of climate change. We are ready to work with you to facilitate a collective vision for a thriving and productive society, environment and economy. I encourage everyone to take a well-deserved break over Christmas, so we may return energised to continue our transformation in the New Year.
Kind regards
Christopher Lee
CEO | Climate-KIC Australia Ltd