The world is in deep trouble, and people are finally realising how bad it could get. Of course, it is probably far too late to prevent most of the climate disasters to come. We have recently become aware that the big picture is far nastier than we had thought decades ago. The fact that plastics in our oceans are entering our food chain is something which the public has come to know about relatively recently.

We are experiencing the Holocene extinction event, which is commonly referred to as the sixth great mass extinction event in the history of the planet. Most of us are currently cushioned from its wider consequences, but of course the dire warnings of scientists indicate a point in the near future where the consequences will affect everybody. The miracles we need to avert global warming going above 1.5 degrees, which will spell even greater disaster, are nowhere in sight yet.

The tragedy of what the world is going through is that ultimately, it could have been so easily avoided, and can be still so easily avoided should we choose to take action on an individual as well as a societal level. The bigger picture is all about living a healthy and a happy life, and seeing that reflected in the state of the world around us. Everything is interdependent.

One of the best ways by which we could reduce our carbon footprint is a change in the way we eat and what we eat. Less global dependency on meat and the transportation of food across great distances, in favour of local food production, would do a great deal to save the world. That much is within our power. Were we to use alternative modes of transport more, and cycle or walk more, we would be physically fitter, less depressed and might live in a world less likely heading for disaster. We can also vote for more idealistic politics, instead of buying into the narratives and stories which lead us in circles. Why not a fresh start?

Just like our twisted political system in Malta, which is a reflection of the wider human condition, it seems that on an individual level many cannot be bothered to make the serious necessary change because we get our priorities wrong. I suppose the truth is that in my grandparents' lifetimes, there was the Second World War, and since then we have put a man on the moon and are now using technology far more advanced than anybody could have imagined 20 years ago. It is perhaps the rapid change human society has experienced in the past two centuries which has led us to this dysfunctional point. In a sense, it is not surprising that we have been unable to fully adapt to the new world we have created for ourselves in such a short time. Too much has changed too quickly.

Taking it back to basics, as we must, I invite others to join me in getting around by bus or bicycle, to eat less meat and to vote and fight for environmentally minded politics. It is a little change, but as always, if we all do it, the change will be immense, both in our personal lives and on a global scale. Let us not get wrapped up in the pitiful dramas of minor or irrelevant issues which seem to preoccupy many people most of the time. There is only so much an individual can do, but we each have the choice to contribute to the solution or to the problem. Unless you have anything better to do, why not pick the positive option instead.