Last week, I participated in a climate change focus group at work. It was an insightful discussion into our fears and hopes about the state of the climate, and actions we could take in our little corner of the world to address climate change.
As the climate change window narrows (some experts say we need to reach the stated global targets within the next six years), the natural response and mentality may be to give up hope. But we can't.
We need to look to lifelong activists like Jane Fonda and Jane Goodall for guidance, inspiration and hope.
Fonda, who has been known for her activism since her early days as a successful actress in Hollywood said five or six years ago she was feeling very despondent about climate change and it was hard to get out of bed she was so depressed.
She started Fire Drill Fridays, a pledge to use her platform and celebrity status to get arrested every Friday at a climate change protest and even moved to Washington at the age of 81 to achieve her goal. Soon celebrities like Sally Field, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Ted Danson joined her. Fonda said an unexpected benefit of her activisim was her depression lifted, and was replaced by hope.
With half the world going to the polls in 2024 she is urging young people to "please vote and vote with climate in your heart".
English anthropologist Jane Goodall who spent years in the jungle studying gorillas has also shifted her focus at the age of 90 to activism, founding Roots and Shoots, a movement urging young people to create change in their communities and based on the philosophy that every individual has a role to play.
Roots and Shoots is now active in 70 countries with hundreds of thousands of young people spearheading climate-related projects to create a better world.
Jacques Cousteau once said, "We only protect what we love." This Earth Day, commit to taking one or two actions, no matter how small to address climate change and love our earth. Happy Earth Day!
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