Creating a climate of hope

At the conclusion of the Paris conference in 2015, a fellow delegate told me that reaching a global deal on climate change was a bit like navigating the city’s famously busy Arc de Triomphe roundabout: there were a few wrong turns and one or two bumps along the way, but we eventually arrived at our destination.

I was reminded of his comment when the news landed last week that the United States administration had decided to withdraw from the agreement. By now you’ve probably seen and read a large amount about the decision, and it won’t surprise you that as someone who leaned in to encourage governments to create the Paris Agreement, I was saddened by it. A wrong turn indeed.

I hope that over the next few years the US administration will reconsider – and indeed thanks to a long ‘cooling off period’ in the legal agreement, the US actually remains in until 2020. A lot could happen in those three years and I predict there will be more chapters to that story.

Despite the events of last week, I remain fully optimistic that we will achieve our goal of holding average global temperatures to 1.5–2 °C above pre-industrial levels. After all, in the days following the announcement, we saw a remarkable and unprecedented wave of support for the Paris Agreement. It came from every sector of society and in every part of the world; businesses, heads of state, NGOs, faith groups all stepping up.

The Pope and the UN Secretary General were among those who made their views known to the President. In addition to many European based companies such as Unilever, public statements came from the CEOs of many leading U.S companies such as Apple, General Electric and Google. The CEO of Goldman Sachs sent his first ever tweet in order to lend his support to the Agreement. Protests were organised outside US embassies in cities around the world. And philanthropist Mike Bloomberg and partners offered to personally contribute funds to the UN’s climate change programmes to make up for cuts in the contributions from the United States.

This outpouring of support should give us all huge confidence that there will be no u-turn in our journey towards a low carbon world. However, we need each and every group to step up further to accelerate our momentum – and with three consecutive hottest years on record, time is not on our side.

In particular, it is increasingly clear that young people will play the key role in driving change towards a cleaner future. Not only because they have the most to gain from righting the wrongs of the actions of previous generations – as unfair as that sounds - but because I believe they are most likely to provide the critical thinking, the creative innovation, the inspiration and the leadership required to do so. If you need convincing, just take a look at the extraordinary One Young World for evidence.

Their importance is also plain to see in the numbers. Almost 2 billion people in the world are between the ages of 10 – 24, while in many developing countries, half the population is under 30. We need each and every one at the table, mobilizing, catalysing, advocating change.

So if you are one of those 2 billion, what can you do to have a positive impact? It’s a question I often get from the thousands of people who work at Unilever as well as at the several youth-focused events I attend each year. My answer is threefold.

Firstly, spread the message with those closest to you. Talk with friends and family about why climate action matters to you and share with them how they can live more sustainably. If every person in the world took one additional positive action in response to the US decision, we’d make a leap forward in tackling climate change. Challenge companies to take more climate action, and reward those who do with your custom. Spending your money in line with your own values is a simple way to have an impact. 

Secondly, get involved in your community. Perhaps join a climate campaign group, such as one of the national chapters of the International Youth Climate Movement, which track the climate change negotiations and ensure the youth voice is represented. Alternatively, engage and support your town, city or state in their efforts to create more sustainable ways of living, travelling, and even eating.

And finally, don’t give up. The journey to tackle climate change was never going to be an easy ride. Nearly 200 countries remain as signatories, and thousands of businesses, cities and states are working to realise the $13.5 trillion growth opportunity the green economy presents. So while the US federal government decision is disappointing, it is one wrong exit on a much longer journey. Never forget that committed citizens can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever really has.