22 Apr Why it is not about climate change

The word climate change has been used a lot. Actually, it has become the keyword regarding environmental / ecological problems: ‘The climate is changing, we should do something!’
And how many events are organised to ‘fight against the climate change’?
To me this feels powerless; I think climate change is not the right word to put people into action. Also, climate change is not the root of the environmental problems we face nowadays; it’s only a result.

Long term

Climate change is a word that involves the long term, a period of time that is still far away. If the climate is changing, it might for example be one or two degrees warmer on our planet over 50 or 100 years.
Can you imagine someone might response with: ‘The climate is changing, I don’t care. I don’t care if it will be two degrees warmer in a 100 years. I won’t be alive by then. Besides, why would it be a problem anyway?’

No influence

Further, I think many people see the climate as something that they can’t influence, like they can’t influence the weather; the climate is nothing more than the average weather, seen over a certain period of time.

No need to take action NOW

From my point of view the word climate change doesn’t stress the importance why we need to take action NOW. Also, people might think their behaviour doesn’t matter anyway. And if they will do anything to prevent or slow down climate change, they might have the feeling it will only make a difference over 50 or 100 years.

A different approach

I suggest to communicate the message that we have to take care of our planet in a different way.

Imagine this dialogue:

– Do you like to be healthy?
– Yes
– Do you like to breathe in fresh air?
– Yes
– To have water to drink?
– Yes
– Food to eat? Water to have a shower and to do your laundry? Swim in clean water?
– Yes!
– Well, these things are seriously under pressure. We are polluting the air we breathe and are cutting forests. We are polluting the water we drink and we are polluting the oceans. Also we use chemicals to grow our food, eat fish that swam in polluted oceans, cultivate food in polluted soil and polluted air. Do you like this?
– No, this doesn’t contribute to my health. And it isn’t healthy behaviour for our planet.
– So you agree we must take better care of nature?
– Yes. Taking care of nature is taking care of ourselves, of our health. How can I help? What can I do?

Now someone feels the urge to do something and recognizes we have to take action now. It is about our health, about our daily life. Something that affects us all. Right now.

Taking care of nature is taking care of ourselves, of our health. It’s about our daily life. Something that affects us all. Right now.

The wellbeing of nature and our planet

So from now on let’s talk about the wellbeing of our planet, the wellbeing of nature. Let’s talk about the need to create a healthy environment to live and ask ourselves how we can support the health of our planet.

I think this will be far more effective than the call for ‘fighting against climate change’.
Fighting against something will only result in more to fight against. It’s the law of attraction. So fighting against something won’t solve anything. And as explained, climate change is not the problem we have to face. The real problem is our polluting behaviour.

It’s not the climate that has to change

It’s not the climate that has to change, it’s the people who have to change. We have to change. And it is each and everyone’s responsibility to take care of nature and contribute to a healthy environment. Read here how YOU can make a difference.

It’s not the climate that has to change, it's the people who have to change. We have to change.

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