Carmelo Marcén
Ecosocial researcher and collaborator of Fundación Alternativas
More and more people around the world are concerned about the already visible climate change and its derivatives/variables (crisis, risk, emergency, social transition, health alterations, etc.). It is a shared fear, even though it may seem inconcrete in certain spaces and times. So much so that it is considered that those derived from climate change provoke, and will provoke, anxieties of greater or lesser emotional depth. Therefore, a transition of mentality is necessary in the face of these situations; we know that meteorological, and therefore climatic, uncertainties are reinforced by the repetition of destructive events and the increase in their magnitude. Science relates these situations to the fact of doing almost nothing, or too little, to reduce part of their causes. Surely those in power know this, although they forget it, and the public is beginning to know it.
Let us hypothesize that the clueless political scenario, and its permanent inaction, increases even more the skepticism of the concerned citizens, which, in turn, does not take long to increase the anguish. There is a lack of climate diplomacy in the parliaments of each country or region, as well as in social proximity and on the part of governments.
A similar lack of information/education can be seen in some generic media, with rare exceptions. In general, the messages are not very committed. In turn, social networks give little importance to personal or social behaviors in the generation of weather extremes. They do not build confidence that they can improve the proximate or global situation. Both the networks and the media shy away from the power of positive reinforcement, from the commitment to conscious contribution.
All of the above worsens anxieties and risk prevention. However, there is always the question of whether a social catastrophe -such as the recent flooding in Valencia- will encourage collective sentiment. We need collective action to be stimulated every day and month, everywhere, to deal with risk assessment and management in a consistent or explicit way. However, it seems that too many people – many young people according to the opinion questionnaires – do not see themselves as active participants in the identification and/or management of these risks.
The barriers between the administration’s prevention plans – we doubt that many localities or regions have them, even if they are mandatory – and daily life are not helpful. This lack of harmony would be improved with the participation of all citizens in discussions on upcoming prevention actions and strategies. For all this, truthful communication is needed, in addition to the recognition of the importance of improving safety and co-participation in risk mitigation. Since this does not happen in the cases we know about, it is not strange that indignation arises as it is happening now in Valencia.
Let us assume that risks are assumed to exist and decisive action must be taken. Moreover, let us admit that it is possible that the flooding events around the world will convince us that something must be done. We would be among the people who hold out hope that what happened in October in Spain will be a turning point, there and in nearby Europe, which also endures frequent flooding. The underfunded economic echoes of the Dubai Climate Summit are still reverberating. The promises of political leaders focused on convincing us that the future will be better because huge amounts of money will be spent to secure tomorrow. This does not sit well either with the growing evidence to the contrary or with the resources committed so far to turn words into deeds. This dissonance is well developed in the article by José Luis de la Cruz “COP29: insufficient investments, growing impacts”.
That beautiful place that the Earth must have once been – “Il y avait un jardin qu’on appelait la Terre”, sang Georges Moustaki-, is now an ugly place. Even more so if we dwell on the baggage of the last year. Adorned with an increasing climatic instability, a progressive extinction of biodiversity, an alarming lack of water or the progressive pollution it endures, an impoverishment of soils and the consequent decrease of food. As if all this were not enough, climatic migrations have increased, episodic meteorological disturbances have hit cities and ecosystems, causing floods, heat waves, droughts and forest fires. We dare to say that this can give rise to the anguish and fears suffered by those affected, or by their fellow countrymen. As relief is slow to arrive, the indignation increases with each passing day. The protective state has failed, and government diplomacy has barely existed.
From the combination of all of the above, we can only call for hope. Something can be changed! Undoubtedly, we will have to get involved in global transition. That mutation that not all of us will understand; let us recognize that perceptive change and committed action will not fall from the sky like manna. Change is impossible without positive thinking and a belief in a better future, or progressively less unequal, because everything is not achieved overnight. But, of course, settling for the unmotivated hope that everything will be solved has led us to the ugly picture of the planet that welcomes us. On the contrary, it seems that those people in Spain and Europe as a whole who suffer from climate-related problems are more likely to participate in collective action; they feel a motivated need that they try to turn into hope. An article by Cristina Monge in El País says something about this. It sounds like a biblical curse, but too often human collectivities function out of sync.
However, in my efforts to highlight what we have learned, I say to myself that perhaps a mix of emotions – anxiety, frustration, sadness, but also hope – is a good recipe for undertaking the imagined ecosocial transition, for bringing us closer to the palatable gobal reality. Moreover, we cannot isolate hope in the corner of the gullible; a recent study tells us that hope alone is not enough when it comes to climate change. That is why we must demand that the European Union does not let The European Green Deal wither away. We need to share hope because it can help us move forward in times of uncertainty. But beware, there are many economic forces out there that distort our lives. Right now it seems that in Spain pollution taxes on energy companies are going to be eliminated. The winds of change are blowing in the EU member states and in the European Parliament, and who knows if diplomacy based on a transition of the model of life will succeed in bringing together the different hopes, will free us from some of our anxieties and fears! All in all, the alerts are more necessary than ever.
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