“There is one thing I almost never hear leaders talk about, and that is loss and damage. For many of us, reducing and avoiding is not enough. You cannot adapt to lost cultures, you cannot adapt to lost traditions, you cannot adapt to lost history, you cannot adapt to starvation. You cannot adapt to extinction.” This quote is by youth activist Vanessa Nakate who founded the Rise Up movement, a platform for African climate activists.
What can any of us do to make the fossil fuel and other industries understand that you cannot adapt to extinction and that climate change is affecting the livability of the planet? The coal, gas and oil industries are responsible for the majority of GHG emissions and must be held more accountable. The question is, how do we do that? An online article by Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility stated that: “every year, companies as varied as oil and gas to tech and banking spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying to block or delay federal and state regulations designed to avert the climate crisis. They do this through direct lobbying and through support of and leadership in various trade associations. Increasingly, companies also advocate against climate progress and policy through highly targeted and widespread social media persuasion.” On the other side of that, there are organizations like Citizens Climate Lobby which works to provide government representatives solutions to climate change, especially via a carbon tax policy. Education and lobbying are important components in the creation of policies to help reduce carbon emissions. We talk to Frankie, Matthew and Devin members of the Westchester Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, who represent the terrific things youth are doing to lead the way to protect the environment. For more info go to citizensclimatelobby.org, Instagram @cclwestchester. Find past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com, Malcolmpresents.com Tweet us @tmshadesofgreen # RaiseYourEcoConsciousness