Why should everyone be concerned about climate change?
Everybody should feel concerned about the well-being of the future generation who will inherit the world we have used and misused. Our children’s potential welfare depends on our actions regarding climate change.
2. How will people with limited resources be involved to make a difference?
I think the statement that someone has “limited resources” as well as someone is or is not “privileged” is a matter of relativity. There are different measures of involvement in climate actions with regard to individual circumstances and everybody needs to decide for him- or herself what to give, whom to support, what to forsake and how to be part of a solution.
3. Point out three major challenges in addressing climate change?
The biggest challenge is in my view the tragedy of the commons. The global climate is a public good where each country’s government and more so individual’s contribution, positive or negative, is miniscule while the individual sacrifice is or is felt to be quite substantial. As far as I am aware the only strategy to solve this public good problem is through sanctions and lengthy negotiations. Both are pursued but take a long time to be effective.
The second biggest challenge is society’s difficulty for anticipatory action. We would have to change things now so that worse things in the future don’t happen. As individuals we are all used to this kind of behaviour but for societies and governments this seems to be very challenging.
Another challenge I see in the mode of climate communication. There needs to be an optimal balance of catastrophe, possibility, solidarity, opportunity so people reach an optimum of motivation to get engaged.
4. How can we fight against misinformation about the subject?
By not giving up to communicate the facts, in a scientific and populistic manner, again and again and again.
5. List three primary, yet feasible, changes which we can adopt to minimise the impact of climate change in our daily lives.
Save energy, ride the train, eat less meat.
Kajo Stelter is the President and Director of Weltweit – Gesellschaft zur Förderung lokaler Initiativen
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