Changing citizens behaviour to tackle climate change

Past event online

Climate, Energy & Natural Resources

24Nov2020

starts 10:00

ends 11:00

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Summary

Changing citizens behaviour to tackle climate change

The Mediterranean region is one of the hottest regions on earth, with the UN predicting average temperature rises of between 1 and 2 degrees Celsius by 2030-2050. In the region, fighting climate change is an essential part of the global effort to keep temperatures down. According to pollsters Ipsos, a majority of Southern Mediterranean region citizens believe the main responsibility for tackling climate change lies with “society”. And given that two thirds of the region’s citizens are under 35, Friends of Europe and the Anna Lindh Foundation held an online conversation on 24 November to gain insights and advice from young people on ‘Changing citizens’ behaviour to tackle climate change’.

The participants were optimistic that small tweaks to how we live our lives can help to save the planet, and that young people can serve as positive examples for others. But there was also a strong focus on getting teachers, social media influencers, governments and tech companies on board to help fund the effort and spread the word. The upshot? Make sustainable choices cooler, cheaper and easier, and the rest will follow.

About

Citizens are central to spearheading climate action, not only in holding decision makers to account, but also through the many small actions in our everyday lives. From the food we eat to the way we travel, our seemingly small choices impact our consumption patterns on a much larger scale. Despite the mammoth task of addressing climate change, changing our habits certainly do have a positive impact.

However, this understanding is not a given. In the Euro-Med, people hold differing views as to who should be the driver on environmental sustainability and well as the best actions to be taken. In MENA, while 4 out of 10 people believe that civil society has a leading role to play, others state that governments and business are best placed to lead the way, according to IPSOS. Given the diversity of challenges faced by citizens across Mediterranean countries, this intercultural dialogue aims to understand the role undertaken by citizens in different regions. With climate action holding different levels of priority depending on local contexts, building localised climate sensitive education is key.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Eyoel Kahssay/Unsplash

Schedule

10.00 11.00

Changing citizens behaviour to tackle climate change

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Expand Changing citizens behaviour to tackle climate change

As with the EU’s Climate Pact, how could EU supported international programmes contribute to climate education in the Euro-Med?
Could intercultural dialogue improve our understanding of citizens’ perception of climate action in different regions?
Could schools help unlock collective climate action with our households?

Speakers

Hendrik Bruns

Policy Analyst at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JCR)

Garrette E. Clark

Sustainable Lifestyles Programme Officer at the Consumption and Production Unit of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

Darya Yegorina

Founder & Board Member of CleverBooks and 2020-2021 European Young Leader (EYL40)

Moderator

Dharmendra Kanani

Chief Operating Officer and Chief Spokesperson of Friends of Europe

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Speakers

Hendrik Bruns has been at the heart of researching behaviour related to climate change, examining the underlying reasons behind denialism. Bruns primarily makes use of experimental and empirical methods, using R and Stata software to apply statistical procedures. He was previously a Research Associate at the University of Hamburg’s Department of Socioeconomics.

Garrette E. Clark is a passionate advocate for sustainability. With longstanding experience in the field of cleaner production, sustainable product development and business outreach, Clark has been at the forefront of this cause. She is also a member of UNEP’s ‘10YFP’ advisory committee, leads a variety of related projects (such as ‘Sustainable Tourism Marketing’ and ‘Design for Sustainability’ at the country level) and has authored various publications for the UN. Before working with UNEP, Clark also worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Darya is an Irish entrepreneur and influential global pioneer of the role that ‘augmented reality’ (AR) can play in education. She recently created CleverBooks to provide personalised educational content for students by utilising three-dimensional AR technologies. Darya has been widely recognised for her work, having won the Digital Female Leaders Award in Entrepreneurship as well as being named an Innovator by the Irish Times and a Young Irish Entrepreneur. She has been featured in Inc.com, Forbes, CBS and many other global media platforms for her efforts to bridge the technology gap in classrooms around the world and boost student outcomes.

Prior to joining Friends of Europe, Dharmendra Kanani was director of policy at the European Foundation Centre (EFC). He was the England director at the Big Lottery Fund, the largest independent funder in the UK and fourth largest in the world. Dharmendra has held senior positions in the public and voluntary sectors and advisor to numerous ministerial policy initiatives across the UK.

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