Confronting the Climate Crisis - Getting Involved
People often ask me how they can get involved in climate change work. Students and younger generations (e.g., Gen Z) tell me that one of their biggest concerns is the climate crisis. I have included here a list of organizations (with links) that provide opportunities to get involved. I participate, for example, in the Leadership Program of the Climate Reality Project.
Climate Change/Crisis Organizations
Climate
Reality Project – Leadership Corps
https://www.climaterealityproject.org/
https://www.climaterealityproject.org/training
YOUNGO - The Youth Non-Government Organization Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
RINGO – The Research and Independent Non-Government Organization Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
https://ringosnet.wordpress.com/
Fridays for the Future
Sunrise Movement
https://www.sunrisemovement.org/
350.ORG
Climate Action Network International
Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH!) Network
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/climatechange/yeah-network/
Citizens Climate Lobby
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/
ECOS – The Education, Communication, and Outreach Stakeholders Community
eduCCate - Global Climate Change Teachers
Climate Justice Alliance
https://climatejusticealliance.org/about/
The Climate Initiative
https://www.theclimateinitiative.org/
https://quakersandclimatechange.com/2020/10/26/building-a-bridge-to-cop26/
And look into community climate action plans – and opportunities to participate in their development and implementation. Here are examples from Nevada and Arizona (and Corvallis)
https://www.reno.gov/home/showdocument?id=82214
https://coconino.az.gov/2806/Climate-Action-and-Adaptation
https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/community/page/corvallis-climate-action (where Walker lives)
I am surprised that there is such a long list of resources to get involved. I am one who cares about the issue and I would like to leave this Earth with having helped in some way. These resources provide a bunch of ways to help and allows me to pick an option that will be best for me. I have a question though, what first got you into climate change? Was it one of the above resources?
ReplyDeleteIt has been very interesting to see Gen Z rally under the present climate crisis. I think part of this is because with the technology and advancements of our day and age we are able to use new scientific tools to figure out climate problems more quickly. The problems associated with climate change have become even more prevalent in the past decade, with carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels growing 10%, global average temperature increase, concentrations of carbon dioxide exceeding 440 parts per million in the atmosphere, sea level rise of more than 1.6 inches, ice reaching record lows, and extreme weather becoming more frequent and severe (6 Ways the Climate Changed Over the Past Decade by Kelly Levin, 2019). It is clear that action needs to be taken, and so the good news is that we have been taking action, but more needs to take place in order for the effects of climate change to either significantly slow down or stop. Gen Z is becoming a big part of this issue as we are the rising generation in the sphere of worldly issues and what we can do to solve those. We are the ones who will be joining the work force and helping with important decisions.
ReplyDeleteRecommended Source: https://www.wri.org/insights/6-ways-climate-changed-over-past-decade
I had no idea there were this many organizations dedicated to the climate crisis. Reading through the different websites made me think about the United Nations Foundation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (https://unfoundation.org/what-we-do/issues/sustainable-development-goals/). The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the "world’s shared plan to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet by 2030." SDGs were agreed upon by 193 countries in 2015, and while it doesn't completely pertain to the climate crisis, I think there are relevant goals which relate to sustainability. For example, Goal #7 is affordable and clean energy, while Goal #13 is climate action. Over the summer last year, I worked for a non-profit educational organization focused on sustainability, and for some reason I always found this section of their curriculum really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThese resources were definitely eye-opening. I looked into the Climate Justice Alliance and they really stood out to me as an organization. My favorite thing to read was "3) Expose false promises posed as ‘solutions’ to the climate crisis, so that precious resources are not allocated to programs that exacerbate social or economic inequality or cause further ecological disruption" because I feel like a lot of what is happening today and creating the discourse is misinformation and the purposeful ignorance of the intent of information on climate change.
ReplyDeleteI took a look through these sources, and I must say, I'm very suspired that there are this many different sites, all related to the same topic, just with slightly different approaches. I particularly liked the Climate Reality Project, just looking at the website, it's clear they have good staffing due to the website layout.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Dr. Walker for this list. I am interested in joining an organization that wishes to bring in a change in the society. I think from the list, I picked Climate Action Network and after this term, I would try to get in touch with them and see how I can help this cause.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading through the different organizations that you have provided, I began to realize that I have never really heard of that many organizations that were dedicated to the climate crisis. The organization that stuck out to me most was the "Fridays For Future" organization. They are a youth-led movement that Greta Thunberg started a few years ago along with some other young activists. Not only is the site very informative but it is also easy to follow and helpful for someone who is new to learning about what the climate crisis truly is and how to take action to prevent further damage. After reading through many of the sources, I began to wonder how we can promote organizations, like "Fridays For Future", to other people so they can obtain the same valuable knowledge?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the amount of sites provided and the diversity within the topic. My favorite site was Fridays for the Future started by Greta Thunberg. I'm glad that my generation has an activist to look up to who shows that she truly cares.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly sensational that so many young people are waning to get involved in the matter of climate change. There is a lot of change that can be made so long as we continue to educate and inspire the future generations on the matter at hand.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed as I looked at these organizations was that while they all had slightly different approaches to the climate crisis, there were two main approaches to the problem: to address the government directly or to focus on change at the community level. For example, the Sunrise movement emphasized direct and urgent action in elections while The Climate Initiative provides resources for members to direct change at the community level. From these two methods, which do you find provides the best long-lasting change to protect the environment?
ReplyDeleteI feel as if Gen Z is much more concerned about the climate change in the world compared to nearly every other generation before them. Even if they didn't have any part in how the situation is now, they are all willing to do what they can to save the planet.
ReplyDeleteWow I did not know that there were so many organizations that we as the young generation could be involved in. I really hope to participate in one of these organizations one day to make a difference in the world, because if we want to see a difference in our future, we have to be the difference.
ReplyDelete