“Our house is on fire” – Greta Thunburg explains the urgency we need to tackle the climate crisis. 

 

We have all heard and seen the devastating impact climate change is having on people, animals and the environment across the planet. The frequency and extremity of these weather events are a cause of concern and worry for many across the world. Although these weather events are indeed natural, the frequency and extremity of them are due to climate change.

 

2019 marked a year of transformation for climate action.

We saw the continued movement of climate strikes and Fridays for Future movement grow from one individual into a cross-generational uprising of students, parents, health-care professionals, environmentalists etc., demanding the urgency needed to address the climate crisis now.

The climate crisis which once seemed as an unrelatable case, has now resonated with the global community on a scale it never has before. The fires happening in the Amazon Rainforest, to California and Serbia while most recently the devastation in Australia has gripped the world. The Indian Ocean Dipole reported as the catalyst behind Australia’s normal fire season is also the cause for increased flooding in many African countries as a result of cooler and wetter than normal weather conditions, again as a result of climate change

 

Climate Change is border-less 

Climate change knows no boundaries and impacts the most vulnerable in all of our societies the worst. What has been thought of as a faraway issue or something to expect in years to come is happening right now. These extreme weather events are wiping out ecosystems, biodiversity, habitats and millions of hectares of land at an alarming rate. These extreme weather events are destroying the homes, livelihoods and health of communities across the world. This all threatens our collective health, security and safety for generations to come.

Climate Change will not wait 

The time has passed where we can think that climate change is happening elsewhere or is yet to come. The U.N. IPCC scientists have not only forewarned these extreme weather events devastating the world today but also expect an increase in the number of days of fire to come as a result of rising temperatures and consistent dry conditions across southern Australia. As these conditions worsen, time is of the essence for us all to rise up as active citizens.

Taking climate action now! 

As Global Citizenship Education and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals highlight, our world is interconnected and interdependent. To solve this climate crisis, we need to support the skills of all members of society to reduce our collective carbon footprint. Personally and professionally – we can all do something to help no matter where we come from and some of us in society have the power to make large-scale decisions that can lead to much quicker, positive and widespread climate action. As individuals we all have the power to reduce our carbon footprint in our everyday lives which multiplied with efforts of others around the world leads to collective climate action.

Education for Sustainable Development 

At Global Action Plan, Ireland we are committed to including all voices in society. We recently launched our ‘Climate Action Now!’ campaign which recognizes the global emergency to take climate action while supporting under-served communities in Ireland. We understand that climate change impacts the most vulnerable in society disproportionately and we hope that with education to learn how to take meaningful climate action, under-served and vulnerable communities in Ireland will feel more prepared and equipped to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts in their own lives and within their communities.

 

Climate change can be hard to hear. Therefore, by equipping ourselves with education, we can better tackle any challenge presented to us.

As Ray Bradbury has written:

“Action is hope. Without action, there is no hope”.

We are committed to ensure, with the correct education to take action for ourselves and our communities, meaningful climate action will bring positive impacts.