Big Ideas for Young People

MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL: Prof. Tim Flannery  

Ideas don’t get much bigger than the Big Bang, the Fermi Paradox and Gaia. These were just notable side notes in Prof Tim Flannery’s talk on Tuesday night as he tackled the not small topic of ‘Our Future’ in conversation with Michael Williams from the Wheeler Centre. It was one of three Big Ideas for high school kids at the Melbourne Writers Festival, held over three evenings this week.

‘Nothing is that we think it so!’ Flannery said. And Flannery is an audacious thinker. He started this talk with breathless excitement at the possibilities open for young people, for the future they will experience. Gosh, I wish people spoke to me like that more often, how great would that be.

Within minutes we were moving into the atmosphere, how life itself created all those gases and contemplating how humans have changed it. How did we get here? Flannery flew us through the earliest stars, through time to the industrial age to now.

Then bang the first big idea, we are coming to the end of tribal history and the dawn of something quite new. It might just be the internet to you, but Flannery says the capacity to engage in instantaneous communication around the globe is just the start. Broadband is like laying down a new nervous system. We are on the cusp of the creation of global consciousness, Flannery asserts. The issues we face, such as climate change, are so big we will have to find a way to think and act together and it’s already happening.

A lot of people might think he’s gone all hippy, as he talked about Lovelock’s Gaia and the planet’s potential to self regulate. I mean, this a real Aussie ‘bloke’ as far as leather jacket wearing scientists go, brain the size of a planet, talking about humanity developing a collective consciousness?

But he takes it further, suggesting we are approaching the technological capacity to becoming the planet’s ‘brain’. Which will make the planet our body. Flannery talked about the computerisation of agriculture becoming so advanced they’re developing interfaces to communicate with the biosphere. I think he means we are trying to talk to plants.

This is radical, exciting stuff, possibly a bit off; but exciting. For instance, if the human race becomes the planet’s brain, am I a neuron? What happens to my individuality, my free will?

Big idea two: The future is bright. Really? Because so much money is being made out of doing the right ‘green’ thing. The energy demands of China and India are so great they aren’t even planning to use fossil fuels he says. And why would they, it would be like trying to weld with a candle. There energy needs are just too huge.

The investments they’re making into solar, wind, geo-thermal, and ‘smart grids’ are mind-boggling, Flannery says. The first electricity most Indian household will see will be solar. China is dedicating three-quarters of a trillion dollars to clean technology development to drop emissions by 45% in the next ten years. We may still not stop global warning, however. And if we don’t it will probably be the Western world’s fault.

There was also discussion of Flannery’s personal journey in dealing with climate change, in his career and his personal life and political views. Michael Williams is a superb foil chairing events like this, able to add dashes of humour and dabs of dispute that keep things entertaining. Though Flannery is an impassioned speaker. Flannery is soon to release a sequel to his 2005 book, The Weather Makers, which I’m betting covers much of what was discussed in this session. This was a mind blowing talk and I’m certain when his book is released it will cause considerable debate.

If only there were more big ideas to talk about in politics. The Big Idea for Wednesday night was Decisions, Decisions – kick starting your political career and I thought misguidedly it was an opportunity for a bit of biffo. A young lib John Shipp (Melbourne Uni Liberal Youth), an up-and-coming ALP apparatchik Nicholas White and Hayley Conway from the Young Greens currently studying at La Trobe were being brought together to talk policy differences and politics as a career.

Given the crazy politics of the week, I’d thought quite a lot of students would want to hear what these people had to say, but the session was embarrassingly short on numbers and on kids. Then once they got underway, I had a depressing flash back to uni days: the hot air, endless pamphlets and blaring megaphones that descend on campus when student elections roll around. Even as they talked about student life, it all sounded familiar, not that much has changed.

It made me sad to hear these three young people spouting old ideas and processes – already indoctrinated in apparatchik-speak. They seemed to exemplify all that’s going wrong with politics, as has been articulated so well by people like Malcolm Fraser at this festival.

The Young Lib guy was passionate about his beliefs in 200-year-old theory, but didn’t show much knowledge of the reality of this one, falling back on market ideology. The ALP dude, in his suit without tie had all the standard answers and positions we’ve come to expect, shaking his head at people who voted green without thinking it through, giving Tony Abbott a chance at becoming PM. Even the girl from the Greens, lovely as was and able to add humour to the discussion, spoke in a way, like student lefties always have.

The election result and especially the achievement of Wyatt Roy added some spice to the discussion, when the speakers moved off pitching their party positions. There was some good discussion of getting young people involved in politics, how politicians should listen more and the under-represented in parliament Ashley Molese as Chair of the discussion did well keeping the conversation fair and balanced and keeping things moving when they stalled.

It was odd to come away from an event like this, given that last weekend, we as a country appear to have look at the state of politics and thrown our hands in the air. In mirco-form I wanted to do the same thing.

The final session of Big ideas for Young People tomorrow night will be Young People and the Media with Ben Naparstak, Emily Maguire and James West

Full programme details are available at www.mwf.com.au