The below post is taken from September 23 MUNI Mail. Sign up for free here to be part of MUNI’s mailing list.
On September 20, the world saw over 4 million people in 163 countries go on strike for the climate! (See @muni_ph for some posts on last Friday’s #ClimateStrike.)
In October 2018, the IPCC released a report saying we have only 10-30 years to avoid catastrophic impacts climate change. However, the world needed the passion of Greta Thunberg to catalyze people, young and old, all over the world. She moved people to strike, compelling governments and businesses to confront the climate crisis and keep fossil fuels in the ground.
“They see us as a threat because we are having an impact,” she says in this incredibly insightful Q&A article on The Guardian. The youth holds so much more intelligence, energy and power than those that work hard to maintain the broken status quo may have previously thought.
In the Philippines, it’s inspiring to see youth groups like @youthstrike4climateph, and leaders like Krishna Ariola and Jefferson Estela advocating for action and change.
If you felt helpless about the Amazon fires, you can let that fire fuel you to join in a climate strike near you on Sept. 27!
We’ll be on the lookout for climate strikes throughout the Philippines and will be sharing that on @muni_ph this week and sharing posts from @youthstrike4climateph. 🙂
Leveling up our game: Let’s talk dirty!
We need to look beyond our personal lifestyles, beyond metal straws and zero waste, if we want a more livable future ahead of us. And while dirty energy is a tricky topic to discuss, I feel the imperative to start talking more about it.
According to the Climate Change Commission: “Coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) are the biggest sources of man-made carbon dioxide emissions which account for about 35% of global greenhouse gas emissions.” And while CFPPs provide energy in the short term, they also potentially deplete and damage other resources a threaten access to clean water and clean air in the long term.
From La Union to Negros, more and more individuals, towns, youth groups and civil society organizations who have spoken more vocally against coal-fired power plants.
It’s a complex issue, and there are many things to consider, but here‘s why I’m is also saying no to new CFPPs.
While we’ve acknowledged that individual lifestyle change, simply telling people to start or support social enterprises or embed CSR (as we currently know it) are not enough to truly move the needle, we were also unsure, and perhaps also uncomfortable, with challenging people to take more radical action that may require even greater sacrifices and more political stances.
However, the political is personal, and the personal is political, and we still hope this is a conversation we can all approach with empathy. More on this in the next newsletter!
In the meantime, check out this post on ways to reduce your carbon footprint, that challenges you to go beyond just reducing food waste and meat consumption or carpooling.
The above post is taken from September 23 MUNI Mail. Sign up on our website to be part of MUNI’s mailing list.
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