Just covered the UN's 75th and how it is tackling climate change for the tribe

Following a bit of optimisation work within the existing blog, I have been getting back into the groove of blogging. Some are new posts telling the story of existing members of the tribe or what the team is up to. Others are based on transcripts from amazing organisations engaged in tackling climate change around the world. I particularly enjoyed putting the 3rd story together, covering the UN's 75th and it's the message to the world, on tackling climate change, and various global issues.

Check out the excerpt below. There is a link to the full blog story at the end.

75 years with the UN in the world,

5 with the Sustainable Development Goals,

Including tackling climate change around the world . . . 

We are thrilled to be covering a very special film put together by the United Nations and a roster of stars when they celebrated their 75th anniversary. It also marks the 5th year since the UN Sustainable Development Goals were announced one of which intends to be tackling climate change, amongst other things. The video was released back in September, just as the world experiences a radically transforming world. The UN 'tells the story of the world as it is, as it was and as it could be. It really focuses on the solutions and actions the world needs such as tackling poverty, inequality, injustice and to tackle climate change. 

It features the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. With guest appearances from Malala Yousafzai, Don Cheadle, Michelle Yeoh, Forest Whitaker, Thandie Newton, Sugata Mitra. There is also an exclusive performance from Grammy-nominated singer Burna Boy. With a new version of a previous UN performance by multi-Grammy award-winning artist, Beyoncé.

So, without further ado, let's get stuck into what they had to say /sing about

Here is a helpful transcript of what the A-listers had to say

Thandie Newton

This is a very important story. The important story in the midst of Covid 19. It's a historic opportunity to look at the facts of the world as it is and then to focus on the solutions to some of our greatest problems. In the 75 years since the United Nations was founded the human race has never had to face a set of challenges as we do right now. But together we can overcome them.

it's a myth that each and every one of us doesn't have the ability to change the world dramatically and quickly. There have been enormous shifts in power and behaviour to the benefit of all humanity and it can happen again. Nelson Mandela said, "it always seems impossible until it's done. These are some of the things that must be done" 

Take it away - Andrea Bocelli 

"Amazing grace, how sweet, the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, I'm found, Was blind, but now, I see.

Back to Thandie

September 2020, and the world is still in the grip of a global pandemic. There have been more than 27 million confirmed cases and more than 900, 000 people have died. Billions of people have been in lockdown for months. Lives and livelihoods have been threatened and lost. But as some lockdowns are easing, people are emerging into a different uncertain world with a new appetite for change. Today we feel the weight of history on our shoulders. 

The Covid 19 pandemic has shown us how fragile the world is. A microscopic virus has put us on our knees. That fragility should make us humble. Covid 19 has been likened to an x-ray exposing fractures in the skeleton of the societies we have built. A world with great inequality which must be righted and a world which must win the battle against climate catastrophe. The whole planet is at stake so this is a moment to recognize that the way we have been moving leads nowhere and that we need to change course. 

Our local environments are showing change during the lockdowns 

The lockdowns also showed that our environment itself can change. In Punjab for the first time in generations, the Himalayas are visible once again. Lions have reclaimed the roads in Kruger national park. In Venice, the canals run clear once more. And across Italy dolphins have returned. If you look at the response of people to Covid 19, people dramatically change their lives. But people have shown an enormous capacity to adapt to new circumstances and enormous capacity to change the way they live, the way they work, the way they organize themselves.

"So change is possible. The problem. The problem is political will." 

 "So it so decided! On the 25th of September 2015, all United Nations member states signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals. A set of solutions for the biggest problems the world faces. We're going to look at the four key areas where we must take urgent action: 

Key area 1 - How can we be tackling climate change

"Next door's on fire. Oh my god! Okay. I'm scared."

"You're at risk. Leaving now is the safest option. So leave now towards the beach and shelter in place." 

"We're going! Claton's just getting in his car. We're out of here, guys. The whole place is on fire. Oh my god. My neighbour's house . . . OK. Come on Clay. We need to go. Oh my god"

This is a real nightmare. I can't believe this is real. I can't see anything. This is literally not real. This is not real. Oh, my freaking god. All I want is my family. 

Pictures and stories continue to file out from Australia about the devastating fires. This one, a satellite image from NASA and as you can see . . . 

We are not tackling climate change well enough - The last decade was the hottest ever

 . . . that have reached two and a half meters in the capital. The rising death toll and fastest evacuation in Indonesia and what a strong way to Jakarta following the heaviest downpour in more than two decades. 

Extreme weather displaces 20 million people a year

. . . it's the worst plague of locusts to affect the region. The damage to pastures and crops could create "severe consequences for the region where nearly 12 million people are . . ."

Up to 25 million East Africans were threatened by food shortages due to the swarm 

 . . . It could be the worst the area has seen in 20 years. "This is a double whammy, you know. We're dealing with the cyclone and with the exposure to Covid." 

"Well, the fire that is raging in northern California have now become some of the largest in state history. More than 12 000 firefighters are currently battling the places that have the . . . "

"San Francisco bay area smothered by some of the worst air quality on the planet. . . Valley reaches an all-time high of a hundred . . . daily on Tuesday recorded in. . . temperatures spiking above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. . . 

Climate change is man-made. The main drive is CO2 pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. The climate crisis is happening now. 

"I think this is the most important issue that we need to be talking about."

"Climate change is here now and it is killing people right now. The people who are looking at it right in the face."

Christina Figueres - Exec. Secretary UNFCCC: "The next 8 to 10 years is going to determine the quality of life for the next 100 to 200 years"

(Christina Figureres founded the non-profit Centre for Sustainable Development of the Americas). 

Don Cheadle

We all watched with amazement when exactly one year ago, young people from all over the world took to the streets to express their feeling that we're not doing enough to tackle climate change. That we're not treating it like the emergency it is. It's a year later now. Have we done enough? No, we have not. And climate change is only part of this story. Our rainforests are disappearing at an extraordinary rate. One football field of rainforest is destroyed every six seconds. One million plant and animal species are on the brink of extinction. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. 

And so climate change and our treatment of the natural world are colliding and exacerbating each other to create a perfect storm. This cannot go on. You know it, I know it, and we know what we need to do.

United Nations Global Solutions - How we can quickly be tackling climate change

We need to reduce global emissions by 50% by 2030. To do this we need a rapid but just transition to renewable energy. That means an end to the building of new coal power stations and an end to subsidizing of fossil fuels. The government should also shift the tax burden from payrolls to carbon. Taxing carbon rather than people will increase output and employment while reducing emissions. And we need to stop deforestation in its tracks, planting trees instead of chopping them down. 

We need to think about what we eat and how we produce food, embracing healthy, nutritious diets, sustainable farming methods and reducing food waste. The climate crisis is an opportunity. Renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. Thousands of businesses are working to go carbon neutral and the opportunity to generate clean, safe and decent jobs is enormous. The passion for protests can turn into a passion for changing all of our behaviour to create a better, safer, just, sustainable world. The big question we have to ask ourselves now is this as a species. Are we going to be able to work together urgently to tackle climate change? The clock is ticking. 

The rest of the story covers 3 other key areas the UN wanted to address on its anniversary, followed by B bringing it home with a banging performance. Read the full story at:

One Tribe Global Blog - UN celebrates it's 75th and is tackling climate change