Most scientists, scholars and activists would agree that the causes of man-made climate change can be traced to the industrial revolution - a time of immense human ingenuity and activity. During that time, energy from burning fossil carbon was harnessed, at a scale never previously seen, to turn nature into 'products' and thence into financial capital.

I would argue, however, that the causes of climate change, at least the mind-set that resulted in the threat of climate change, can be traced back to much earlier times - indeed, to the dawn of western philosophy and a relatively innocuous statement from dear old Socrates!

He stated, one assumes with a degree of sophistic ambiguity, that: "I am a lover of learning, and trees and open country won't teach me anything, whereas men in the city do." (Socrates in Plato's Phaedrus).

With these simple words, Socrates created a "fracture" between humans and nature and it is this disconnection that has resulted in the demise of whole ecosystems and will, if we are not very careful, result in potentially catastrophic climate change.

Whilst it would be unfair to blame Socrates for the collapse of the biophysical systems that make life on Earth possible, I believe his statement provides a useful reference point for identifying when the true causes of climate change - the separation between people and nature - started to occur.

Over the last 2,000 or so years, our relationship with nature has grown increasingly violent and now we see nature as little more than a repository for our waste. Indeed nature, which makes life on Earth possible, is regarded as a problem.

No longer do we celebrate its majesty; no longer do we weep at the dying of day or express joy as the east begins to glow. But unless we can reconnect with the natural world, we as a species are surely doomed.

'JUST AND EQUITABLE' AGREEMENT NEEDED

As the world's political leaders gear up for the climate change conference to be held in Copenhagen in December of this year, millions of people are calling for them to show real leadership.

These people are calling for a truly just and equitable agreement that will be of benefit to all people who share this fragile planet, especially those living in poverty who will experience the impacts of climate change first and worst.

Of the delegates who will be negotiating at the conference, I have one very small request. Before leaving for Copenhagen, please take time out of your busy schedule and spend some time with nature.

Take a walk in the woods, swim in a lake, ponder the beauty of a flower, look into a child's eyes.

Only by connecting to that which is "natural" will you realise what there is to lose if you don't fight for an agreement at Copenhagen that will ensure a brighter more sustainable future.

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