When it comes to saving the planet, it’s time to think big.
At Global Action Plan Ireland, we are passionate about working with local community groups. We enjoy the sense of commitment and energy that so many groups all over Ireland bring to their issues, and we love learning about their solutions to local challenges. We believe local environmental action is at the heart of the recipe for a better world.Overlapping planetary crises demand a community-driven movement that creates a ripple effect of positive change, everywhere.
GAP helps promote this ripple effect by supporting community groups to be more effective and even more motivated. And, crucially, we help them put their local action in a wider, global perspective. In our work, we link local environmental action with global justice and global citizenship.
Here’s why:
1. Saving the Planet, One Global Solution at a Time
Sustainability challenges know no borders. Issues like climate change, deforestation, and pollution are global in nature, impacting communities far and wide. By taking into account global justice and citizenship, community groups can craft solutions that consider the interconnectedness of these challenges. This approach ensures that efforts not only benefit local communities but contribute to the well-being of the planet as a whole.
2. Team Earth: Because We’re All in This Together
It’s all connected, people!
Global justice and citizenship foster a sense of shared responsibility. Understanding how we’re all interconnected in one huge globalised society means acknowledging that environmental issues are not isolated to one community or nation.
By recognising the interdependence of ecosystems and communities, sustainability groups can encourage collaboration and collective action. This shared responsibility strengthens the sustainability movement, creating a global network of communities working together for a common cause.
3. Fair’s Fair: Sustainability is an issue of justice
The well-being of people and the health of the planet are intertwined.
Not only do many environmental issues disproportionately affect people living in poverty, but the causes of environmental destruction and global poverty are also linked. Environmental groups concerned about the planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are bound to discover that some of the root causes of those problems are directly related to our economic model, which is based on the over-exploitation of natural resources – and of people without power.
To redress the balance, environmental groups need to focus on the rights of all people – regardless of their background or location – to have the opportunity to live in a healthy and thriving environment.
Sustainability on a global scale considers the unequal distribution of resources and environmental impacts. Sustainable practices aim to rectify this imbalance by promoting global cooperation and shared responsibility for environmental stewardship. For Global Action Plan, Global citizenship means an awareness of the interconnectedness among people, societies and environments around the globe, and taking action to promote fairness and equity.
Global citizenship and sustainability involve understanding diverse world views and perspectives in order to effectively address the various political, environmental, social, and economic issues that are central to living sustainably in today’s interconnected and interdependent world.