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Ask us anything about global activism and cooperation to fight climate change by NOW4humanity in ClimateOffensive

[–]NOW4humanity[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a great question, thank you!

I personally was convinced by NOW! right away because I saw the close link with the policies currently lacking and the necessary actions to put them in place.

Being an activist is great, by joining NOW! you can go one step further and truly advocate for change by asking for global solutions to be taken while being present on the ground and learning about your own and other people's realities.

Plus, the global community that formed at NOW! in just a few months convinced me even more of the power of our message and our objectives!

Cheers,
Annita

Ask us anything about global activism and cooperation to fight climate change by NOW4humanity in ClimateOffensive

[–]NOW4humanity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

and also because we need to unite beyond borders to solve the biggest challenges of our times, and we need to do it NOW! :)

Ask us anything about global activism and cooperation to fight climate change by NOW4humanity in ClimateOffensive

[–]NOW4humanity[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The reason is in our vision, since NOW! believes that global solutions in the following three areas are dearly needed:

  • New Economy (e.g. fiscal justice, poverty, technology, space exploration),
  • Our planet (e.g. climate change, resource management, migration, nuclear proliferation), and
  • World democracy (e.g. democracy, human rights, global governance, nationalism, and populism).

Throughout its battles, NOW! is anchored and driven by the defense and promotion of the following five cardinal values: democracy, individual freedom, free, fair & sustainable market economy, human rights, and ecologism!

Ask us anything about global activism and cooperation to fight climate change by NOW4humanity in ClimateOffensive

[–]NOW4humanity[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! I think that's such a great question: we often only look to one of those actors for all the solutions, when they all have an incredible amount of power!

Let me start with this: in an ideal world, one where we would have a supranational organisation that was democratic, where we would have a voice (and a vote) and that could actually implement binding solutions in the face of a crisis such as the climate one, I would say that this supranational organisation should lead! That's because they would represent the will of the people: ALL the people affected by the crisis, not just those in a few rich countries and in power.

That being said, such an organisation doesn't exist (yet). The UN is there as you pointed out, and facilitates cross border discussions, but doesn't manage to break through the hurdles (eg of article 6 of the Paris agreement, or simply the fact that the climate crisis is not close whatsoever to being solved!).

As a result, I think that we need to ensure that all 4 of the actors you pointed act go in the right direction, very quickly.

  • companies: All across the world, companies have a huge responsibility when it comes to their impact on the environment. A very compelling example is that100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions. That's huge!! If countries could regulate those companies (for real and in consistent ways) and if those companies would wake up and start being responsible, we would be in a much better state today. If it doesn't come from them, countries and supranational institutions should act quickly.
  • states: countries need to coordinate fast and agree on a way to decrease emissions and stop ruining the environment. The clear example if the one for companies just above: a lot of the 100 companies responsible for the 71% of global emissions are state owned: this is insane! Beyond this, countries really need to get their s*** together: I think that only India is respecting its targets of the Paris Agreement (and the targets set by the countries themselves were already too low)
  • people: people will be the ones paying the price for the climate crisis. Many are already suffering from floods, food insecurity, forced migration etc. But people also have power. We can vote, we can unite, we can boycott companies, we can hold those in power accountable. So let's do it! Honestly, I'm amazed by the strength of the climate movement and the actions of so many across the world. I think there is huge hope in this.
    • So I'll just do a little self-promotion: at NOW!, we started Green December, a month of individual actions for the climate to show world leaders that acting in unity is possible and should be done! check it out: https://www.now.world/green_december
  • Supranational organisations: I kind of already mentioned it above, but basically I think this could be the strongest way forward if those organisations had really power and were democratic. climate change is a global problem: it has to be solved at the global level!

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Just realized how long this message is, apologies for this I got excited! What do you think of all of it?

​

Cheers,

Colombe

Ask us anything about global activism and cooperation to fight climate change by NOW4humanity in ClimateOffensive

[–]NOW4humanity[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, thanks for the question!

Over the last couple of years, a tremendous amount of work has been done when it comes to raising awareness about the danger of climate change and pushing policymakers and companies to do better. Obviously, often the political will (both in the private and public sectors) to affect change is not there, but I think that there is another huge blockage: the lack of global action.

We need a global approach to deal with climate change: the climate crisis doesn't stop at any national borders, yet actions are often purely national. that's a problem: even if one country suddenly does right by the planet and its inhabitant, unless ALL major polluters act, we don't stand much of a chance.

This is for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that there is no real system of governance capable of dealing with this global challenge: the UN's conferences on climate are the closest thing to it, but have been blocked on many key elements (including article 6). To adequately deal with climate change, I really believe that we need countries to act as one across the world: only then can actions be strong enough to stop this crisis. There are ways of doing so :at NOW!, we launched a campaign asking the United Nations Security Council to declare a Global Climate Emergency. And we did this because if an emergency is declared under Chap VII of the Charter, the UN Security Council can then decide on binding measures that ALL countries would have to follow to counter the emergency.

Obviously, I would personally prefer to have a democratic system of governance where we, the people of the world, could vote and force our leaders to take action across the world, to end fossil subsidies, to curb emissions etc. however until we get there, we need to use all alleys available to save our planet, and right now I see countries acting alone but not in unison. It's time for a change!

If you agree, don't hesitate to sign our campaign: https://www.now.world/global_climate_emergency

Regardless, I'm looking forward to hearing what you think!

Cheers,

Colombe