Climate warrior

Kayaking for climate

Tough is Not Enough By Steve Posselt

Review by Kathy Gibbings

The cover design for Steve Posselt’s book, by Graphiti Design of Lismore, shows an otherwise black and white photo of a man sitting on a bright yellow kayak, in a field of furze or mud, empty to the horizon. Because being a climate warrior can be a lonely journey. In January 2015, Steve sets out from Australia on his kayak for the Paris Climate Conference, officially known as COP21, taking place in November 2015. For some years, he had been dreaming about an adventure like this – including paddling in North America. He decides to carry out that dream, but with a focus on educating the world about climate change, by kayaking his way to Paris.

The global kayak journey is difficult, sometimes deathdefying and often arduous. Steve pushes through the physically taxing days, the gnawing hunger, the extreme fatigue, and the hollowing out of muscles from too much exertion.

There’s wild paddling in inclement weather. There are soothing descriptions of calm days, of sea creatures, and butterflies near the edges of rivers. Along the Mississippi, Steve paddles through mist, where ‘everything looms out of the fog, slowly taking shape as you approach.’ Then he paddles right through the middle of cities, giving a duck’s eye view of London from the Thames.

Securing an appropriate support team is important. It is hard for Steve to find others to share his passion, and there are lots of misunderstandings. But there is also a lot of humanity on display – not just in the support that Steve’s crew give him, but also in the opening up of worlds and adventures that he gives to them. Steve’s story is told through notes, recollections, blogs and emails from his various support crew. He is a practical man, an engineer by trade, and perhaps left to himself the book may have been simply made up of facts and measurements, tidal flows and weather reports. Geoff Ebbs, his publisher, and his editing team, pushed for something deeper, including layers of emotion.

There are also moments of wry humour. When Steve is ready to land at Bondi Beach, he notices jellyfish swimming around him. He tries to decide if they are a ‘fluther’ of jellyfish, or a ‘smack’. On the radio phone, his partner advises him that a group of jellyfish is called a ‘bloom’ and not a ‘fluther’. Steve calls on his engineer mate for back-up: ‘Warren said he was not sure about jellyfish but that he did know about jelly beans and that the collective noun is a packet.’ In the end, we have a character study of a man willing to push himself to extremes mentally, but who also examines his own motives and actions. And in his quest to save the world, he realises that you need more than lone heroes. ‘It is so much easier to join inspired people and work with them towards a common goal,’ he writes. ‘You need a team.’

Ebono Institute / 247 pp / $29.95