Granard Booktown Festival: Longford to hear the power of words to evoke change

A quick perusal of the Wikipedia page for Professor Tim Flannery is somewhat daunting. The top line describes Timothy Fridtjof Flannery as “an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, author, science communicator, activist and public scientist”.

So, basically, he does things, a lot of things. His most important contributions to humanity are his efforts as a climate scientist and writer. He has written 32 books, including The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers.

The Future Eaters is a 1994 non-fiction book detailing the ecological history of Australia and how humans consume the resources they need for their future. The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change is a 2005 book discussing climate change, its scientific basis and effects, and potential solutions.

The ecological impact of man on the planet's future is an issue the antipodean professor has been highlighting for decades.

Later this week Tim will sit down with journalist and presenter Ella McSweeney in Granard to discuss his work, the climate emergency, and just what we can do to act before it is too late. The event is part of the Granard Booktown Festival.

Professor Flannery spoke to the Leader about why he decided to visit Ireland for the first time in 30 years: “I was approached two years ago by John (Connell Co-founder Granard Booktown Festival), he called me out of the blue.

“I said I would love to be a part of the festival. I don't do a lot of small book events, but Ireland is pretty special and I happened to be teaching in Geneva at the right time, so I thought I could make it work.”

Many of the observations made in Professor Flannery's career found their genesis in his explorations of remote areas of Papua New Guinea.

Over the course of many expeditions he discovered 16 species and many subspecies of mammals, including two species and two subspecies of tree kangaroos: “In the talk we will focus on climate change. I will also speak on my work in Papua New Guinea. Some of that relates to climate change, some to just about biodiversity.”

It's fair to say he has been in the vanguard of climate change scientists beseeching humanity to examine consumerist culture: “I started talking about climate change in the late 1990s as a result of things I had seen in the Pacific Islands. It has been a long time. I have been a bit of a voice in the wilderness in the last decade, we have had a conservative government in Australia, they didn't want to hear about it. Things have picked up in the last few months and Australia is starting to take action.”

Over the decades there's been a lot of opposition to the views the environmentalist put forward. Engaging with opposite views is part and parcel of his life's work. Coping with opposition to common sense is not easy: “It's frustrating, but I've always taken a view that you have got to give everyone their dignity, no matter what their view is.

“If you can reach through to them as a human being, then things can start to shift a bit. I have met farmers who deny climate change, but have been through the most crucifying drought that anyone can remember. When you ask 'Do you think it might be that the climate is changing?' they say, 'Well, maybe,' even though they don't believe it. It's just about being honest with them, engaging with dignity.”

The professor acknowledges there is a limit to that understanding. He cites profiteering wealthy industrialists and miners opposing climate change not on ideological grounds, but on financial ones: “They are in a category of their own.

“It's very hard to engage with them. All I can do is highlight the consequences of their actions. Many have kids, and those kids are aware of what is going on. They are not happy and sometimes they are unlikely allies.

“There is a third group; they are the ones in the media who just propagate the lies. I find it hard to be sympathetic with them. They know what the truth is, but they are paid to lie to the public. That's hard to accept.”

As an enticement to the Granard Library event Tim finishes with a flourish: “If you don't know what a penis gourd is then make your way to Granard and find out.”

Professor Tim Flannery in conversation with Ella McSweeney will take place on April 22, at 7pm in Granard Library, tickets are on sale from via the Granard Booktown Festival website and the box office in Granard.

Check out the  Granard Booktown Festival programme of events HERE