Take Climate Action
Climate Action is crucial to make a contribution towards the global challenge of climate change and also one of the sustainable development goals. 2019 was the second-warmest year ever recorded and the end of the warmest period ranging from 2010-2019 [1].
It’s obvious that an increase in temperature is connected to a warming of our oceans that is not only threatening marine sea life, but also causing the melting of Arctic ice [1]. Higher temperatures also cause a decrease in grain yield which is a great danger in terms of the global food provision [1]. Furthermore, climate change is a global threat and challenge that demands to take action in every corner of the world to keep the temperature rise below 2C°.
What can you do to take action?
In our series of Alumni Talks we welcomed four experts who gave us ideas and inspiration how you can make that change!
Our first speaker was Dagmar who is deeply passionate about gardening. She explained to us why it is so important to start gardening. It doesn’t only provide a space for animals like bees, small mammals like hedgehogs and snakes, but also provides you fresh fruits and vegetables.
Why is that so important?
Providing a safe space for local animals helps to save local biodiversity which in great danger, not only due to climate change, but also due to land loss in urban areas. Planting trees and plants requires a certain amount of patience, but in the end it’s worth for all the beauty of nature you may enjoy with your friends and family. Keep in mind that all those plants help to bind CO2, Dagmar explained, creating an own microclimate.
She also gave us further insight into permaculture and on how to grow your own vegetables. If you want to create new soil you will need worms and some organic waste to feed them. On this soil, Dagmar planted all the plants in her garden. But what else do you need? Of course, you need to ensure a steady water supply. But how can you it sustainably? Dagmar’s solution was to collect rain water and uses it to water her pond and the plants. She created a whole cycle of using all the resources consciously to create a beautiful oasis for animals and humans alike.
Do you want to learn more?
Check out the recording!
Our next speaker Listya provided us with some insights about Consumer Information Tools and Climate Change. She stated that our consumption patterns can be influenced positively by consumer information tools. She focussed on three main areas which cause a high amount of CO2: tourism, buildings and the food sector. One of the highest amounts that is produced within tourism industry are for example the transportation and the accommodation. This also applies for the food industry. If you don’t buy locally, it creates for a higher CO2 output. She tackled the question what kind of consumer we are and how complex the process for decision making in terms of food purchase truly is. Factors like the income, the sociocultural environment and other factors can play a role in our decision making process. In the end we should ask ourselves how big is our CO2-footprint for one meal? This can be transferred to further questions in our daily consumption and many information tools can be used to answer those questions. But they can also be overwhelming, and the question is how we should interpret those tools.
How to navigate through the data and more information on the topic.
Another interesting presentation was held by Wolfgang: “200% from sustainable to regenerative”.
He explained how the current model, which is used to calculate the effects of temperature change and resulted in the limit of 1.5 °C, doesn’t include tipping points for example the melting of the Arctic ice shield.
The main problem, he told us, is the missing buffer time in the Paris Agreement considering time and budget. At the moment, not a single country is in reach of achieving this Goal of 1.5°C, with the possible exception of Morocco. As Wolfgang argued this is a high-stake bet on the future.
What can be done?
– Speed and ease to convince leaders to take action and make a change
– Resilience having leaders going beyond their fair shares
– Dignity and freedom to become independent of those who don’t step up
He gave us an example on how to achieve this by comparing Google (sustainable) with Ecosia (regenerative), but check his talk out for yourself. At the end Wolfgang encouraged everyone to take action and be leaders to go beyond, especially the AIESEC Alumni community to overcompensate! Are you ready?
[1]: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/
