Meeting Aaron Jeffery for the first time took me by surprise. Most people relate to Aaron as Alex on McLeod’s Daughters or as the father of Wolverine in X-Men Origins. In real life he is gentle and compassionate, and the father of a wonderful young girl, Ella Blu.
His easy to get along with character and humble approach to life made for a good introduction and we chatted for the first time as if we had been long-time friends.
When the conversation turned to my passion, climate change, I was surprised by his understanding of the need to make deep cuts in carbon emissions. He was totally aware of the devastating consequences of unmitigated climate change.
So convinced is Aaron of the need to do something meaningful to help that he listened eagerly to the story of Climakind.
As I spoke about how we provide a proactive solution to help reduce global carbon emissions, I could see the interest growing. By the end of the story Aaron was amazed.
“You mean you take away the rights of industry to pollute?” he asked.
Yes, I explained. It works because the right to emit carbon dioxide is limited in a well-designed carbon market like the European Emissions Trading Scheme. As the number of carbon emission credits (CECs) is reduced, industry is forced to find alternative low-carbon solutions. Through Climakind you help speed up the transition to a low-carbon future.
Aaron had always been interested in the impact of people on the land. He mentioned that being in McCloud’s daughters brings you back to the basics, makes you more aware of the forces of nature and hardships of those who live off the land.
It makes you realise how easy it is to go through life with blinders on, only seeing what is immediately in front of you. When you step back and see the big picture you become aware of the need to protect what we have, to save the environment.
When I asked why he thought it was important to save the environment he answered straight away. “Because we only have one planet and we need to protect it so that our children can have a future”.
Aaron is spot on. We have to do everything we can to make deep cuts in global carbon emissions. The longer we wait the more we risk. We thank Aaron for being quick to show his support and by becoming involved with Climakind.
Story by Michael Salvatico