Simon Simoudis: A Victorian’s Letter to a Changing World

This is Simon Simoudis, and I live in Victoria. As an Australian, I’ve been accustomed to experiencing wild weather since childhood. I have been accustomed to bushfires, floods, and heatwaves since childhood. When you are from this part of the world, you know what to expect.

Summers are meant to be hot, but manageable. Winters are cold for sure, but not very severe. It’s always been a country of extremes, but lately, I’ve seen some weird things happening, almost a complete break from the past. Things are changing fast, for the worse, which makes my gut sink.

I, Simon Simoudis,  remember the fires a few years back. It's now being called the Black Summer, for what it made us feel. That year was extraordinarily hot and dry, and you could feel the sun burning right above your head. Thick black smoke has blanketed many towns, even those that were miles away from the fire zone. I didn’t lose my home, but many whom I know did. There was a huge loss of property and crops.

We are now experiencing floods more often. Places like Lismore and even Shepparton went under. I know a person in New South Wales who had to rip up his flooring three times in eighteen months. Insurance barely covered the last one. He jokes about it, but there’s a tiredness in his voice. 

It’s like we don’t get seasons anymore. Just chaos.

I, Simon Simoudis, have been noticing it here in Victoria, too. Summers aren’t just hot; they have become cruel. Humidity wouldn’t let you sleep. Winters have become shorter and harsher. You can’t predict what the weather is going to be like the very next day. One day it feels pleasant, and suddenly you have freezing winds out of nowhere.

And this climate change has impacted every aspect of our lives. You can see the signs everywhere. Food items have become more expensive because of the crops that are destroyed, either because of wildfires or floods. People can’t get home insurance anymore in some areas because the insurance companies think it’s too risky for their business.

Then you have the islands like Tuvalu, Kiribati… some of these places are disappearing.

We Aussies have always been proud of our tough attitude. Battlers, right? Drought, flood, fire, we’ve seen it all. But this feels different. It’s not just a rough year, a mere exception.  It’s becoming the new normal. And it makes me uneasy.

So, what do we do now, as ordinary citizens, to make our climate more like what it used to be a few centuries ago? But I reckon it starts with paying attention to how our habits, our lifestyle, and how we are contributing to this climate change. We need to have more conversations, with the admission that things have changed. 

I am doing my bit, I’m trying.

I’m Simon Simoudis. I’m not writing this to go viral or start a movement. But because I felt that even if I could raise some awareness, that would be my contribution towards making our climate more normal. But if you choose to turn a blind eye to the issue and pretend everything is alright, then I fear we are moving towards a more bleak future, and what we are experiencing today is just the beginning.