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Writer's pictureBen Pechey

Our Responsibility to the world


I never thought that I would ever talk about the climate here, but I think that it is so important that in reality, it is odd that I haven’t spoken about this sooner. In recent weeks Greta Thunberg has repeaedly made headlines for her speeches that are urging the world to change. Whilst the delivery may not be to everybody’s taste, I think the message behind her words is very important.

Her emotive and charged speech at the UN climate summit in September made it very clear that we need to change immensely to stop the world from becoming irrevocably damaged.

“You are failing us. But young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us I say we will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not.”

If the world as a whole continues at the rate of use and damage, the world we live in, will not exist for future generations. There is a very real chance that we are running towards the very real possibility that we cause too much damage for life on earth to be viable.

We need to change the way we exist on our planet, and we need to rapidly start that process. One thing that I feel is missing is the unity that this movement requires. One criticism that I feel exists is the blame culture that exists in the world at the moment.

There is a very real divide between us and them. There is not a week that goes past without a protest for something. Is there a real call to action here, or are some people just happy to be angry at someone? I think that we all need to hold the decision-makers accountable, for sure, but we also need to make sure that we are also making changes where we can too.

Beyond protest and telling governments and companies to change, there are things we can do to help ease the momentum of climate change.

Use less fossil-fuelled vehicles, or if not possible, public transport.

The meat and dairy industries account for 14% of the emissions. However, we don’t have to completely cut these things out. By reducing your consumption of animal protein by half, you can cut your diet's carbon footprint by more than 40%

I haven’t flown anywhere in 12 years, but flying is a huge contributor to carbon emissions. So maybe think about the way we travel?

Buy less! This is very important when it comes to fast fashion, we all need to buy less and use what we have more efficiently. I went into this in May…

Having fewer children reduces carbon emissions (you know fewer people) just going to leave that here…

If you have to fly a lot, or for some reason drive 10,000 miles a month, then perhaps consider offsetting your emissions with a trusted green project. It’s not the same as making changes but it will be a start.

We all need to be more responsible for our planet, and it starts with simple changes! Thank you for joining me today, I will be back next week for the continuation of responsibility month.

Shot by Rachel Pechey

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