What is the role of events in inspiring climate action in the world? – Guest blog by John Stuart
It’s an undeniable fact that climate change is here and it’s happening fast and it is largely the result of human activity. Climate change is not a new phenomenon by any means but with the introduction of humans like ourselves who are highly evolved and have developed technologies that use what the Earth provides, we have accelerated climate change to a whole new level and in the next few decades to come, we will feel the effects.
It is our duty as the cause of climate change to do everything we can do slow it down and teach the generations ahead of us how to be sustainable and avoid producing waste. Efforts are being made across the world with charities, programmes and events that get the conversation going about what is going on around us. We continue to push governments to change legislation's and punish businesses that are wasteful and damaging to the environment. We keep pushing but question is, is it all falling on deaf ears? And is our constant use of large corporations just adding to the problem? It seems the smaller businesses and independent sellers or service providers are doing more to tackle the issue of climate action than the big, dominating names across all industries.
We can keep fighting however with constant events and public participation. The more we make climate action accessible to everyone and provide support and information on how to use less plastic and be less wasteful, the more progress we make and slow down the effects of climate change. An event has the power to bring people together and create a sense of community and create a common goal. The role this plays in climate action is crucial. We work better together when we collaborate and the shared responsibility of reaching a common goal motivates us and lessens the stress put on one individual person. Lets not forget how informational such events can be. Inviting influential figures to speak at such events makes the idea of taking climate action more realistic. If we can relate to someone and see how someone has made a difference, we can get inspired to implement those ideas into our own lives and slowly become more conscious of our actions and how they impact the world around us. Becoming an ambassador and dedicating time to teaching others is a great way to inspire others and create a community that works hard and makes a visible difference.
Climate action events can also be a source to buy essentials to start a journey of a waste free life. Reusable bags and food waste bins are all small steps that can make a huge difference and there’s a vast amount of books that can be taken home and studied to keep the information flowing and keep on top of it. It’s also a great opportunity to give exposure to businesses that take climate change seriously and can encourage people to swap their big corporation coffee to a smaller company that does something towards tackling climate change. The events may also pressure other businesses to rethink what they are doing and realise that taking climate action can increase their public image.
The reality is of course that climate change will be an issue for a very long time, but by bringing people together and putting the facts right in front of them is a successful and effective way to change the world one step at a time. Imagine if at least 25% of people from an event of few thousand decided to cut out plastic bags from their lives, that’s a chain reaction that will begin small and spread far and wide.