What are your overall thoughts about the climate change debate and talk of the climate crisis in the media

What are your overall thoughts about the climate change debate and talk of the climate crisis in the media

Week 10 Activity: Reflections on the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is considered the most pressing environmental concern of our times. At the UN Climate Action Summit held in September 2019 activist Greta Thunberg told world leaders “you are failing us” due to their slow and inadequate response to anthropogenic climate change and continued dependency on fossil fuels. While many local governments, including those in Vancouver, have declared a climate emergency there is still a large gap between political statements and the actions needed to reduce carbon emissions and move towards a lower carbon, or decarbonised, society. Your activity this week is to write your reflections (~500 words) on the current climate crisis considering the points below. Fully explain each point you make.

1. What are your overall thoughts about the climate change debate and talk of the climate crisis in the media? Does it spur you into action, provoke eco-anxiety, generate climate fatigue or apathy, or produce another response?

2. What kinds of actions have you taken, or would you consider taking, in response to the climate emergency? For example, participating in climate strikes, taking action in your community, or making adaptations to your lifestyle?

3. How important do you consider climate emergency declarations by local governments or citizen activism in promoting change? Do you think these methods are effective in instigating change? Are there other approaches or actions that you think may be more effective in tackling the climate crisis?

4. How do you think the current wave of climate activism differs from the past waves of environmentalism that we have discussed in the course? You might think here about how the movement is organized, which groups are involved, or what kinds of underlying worldviews are represented?

5. How effective or ineffective do you think actions by international agencies and national or local governments have been to date in addressing climate change?

Suggest further ways in which such agencies might address climate change at a global to local scale.

This activity will be worth up to a total of 8 points. Marks will be given for depth of reflection, demonstrated understanding of climate change debates (climate literacy) and appreciation of the role of climate activism and other approaches in promoting change (mitigation, adaptation, decarbonization, geoengineering, etc.). Use examples to support your arguments and connect your responses to the course content where relevant. You do not have to use other sources for this reflection activity, but if you do make sure you include details