The latest IPCC report, released this week, confirms what many of us already know. Our window to halt the impacts of climate change is closing. Although it’s not too late to reverse the devastating predictions of hitting the tipping points triggered by putting too much human-induced carbon into our atmosphere, we’re getting mighty close.
“But what can I do, I’m just one person?” We hear this over and over again.
You can do A LOT. Yes, you may be one person but you can influence a huge amount of change. Within yourself, your family and your wider community.
Just think about Greta. She started as one person, striking every Friday, by herself out the front of her school. Little by little, as she turned up each and every Friday, she was joined by another person. Then another. Then a few more. Then her consistent protest blew up. Greta went global. She was being asked to advise a whole bunch of organisations of how to reduce emissions. She was asked to speak on very large platforms. She became a face that almost everyone knew. No one, least of all Greta expected that to happen. But she committed to taking action and overcame her fear to use her voice. And it was heard.
The collective youth voice feels as though it’s the only thing that is going to save us. Young people are rising. And despite natural disaster after natural disaster, a global pandemic and now what feels like World War III brewing, youth are still rising for a better, safer, more equitable and just world.
So where can you start? Here are some things you can do, for a whole range of energy and commitment levels that will keep us moving in the right direction if we all do them.
1. Learn more about the stuff you’re buying. Where does it come from? How was it made? What will happen to it when you’re finished with it? Can you get it secondhand? You’ll start to see products in a new light. And you’ll soon work out whether you still really want it or whether you can get it secondhand and pass it on when you’re done.
2. Set up your bank account with an environmentally friendly bank. Your savings are used to fund a whole bunch of stuff including the fossil fuel industry. You can be a game changer by supporting an environmentally friendly bank.
3. Reduce your plastic footprint. This one can be tricky with all the single use plastic packaged food that you take to school or buy at school but reducing it by as much as you can helps, especially when we all do it. You can take your soft plastics to Coles or Woolies where Red Cycle recycle it and turn it into new products.
4. Turn off your appliances when not in use. One of the biggest sources of fossil fuels is our energy and the less energy you use, the less fossil fuels are used.
5. Waste less food. Did you know that food waste accounts for approximately 3% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions? Buy less, waste less and eat what you take to stop climate change.
6. Start a Blue Team at school. Engage your school leadership team to commite to net zero by 2040 and get your school’s community cracking on reducing the school’s carbon footprint.
7. Write to your local Member of Parliament. Despite what you might think they read everything that comes into their inboxes and they must respond. If enough people let them know what concerns them they must take that on board and represent their people. If they’re not they’re not doing their job.
8. Stop thinking that you’re just one person and you can’t make a difference. Through our Ocean Youth program we know that is absolutely not true. Your voice matters and it is being heard. But you need to do your part and make sure to use it.
What positive action will you take for our ocean today?
