“Yes, it’s true that you can’t solve the climate crisis alone, but it’s even more true that we can’t solve it without you. It’s a team sport.”

Mary Heglar

Purpose

Climate activism occurs when individuals from all over the world join forces to encourage national and corporate leaders to take action to ensure a sustainable future. The beauty of activism is that it does not need us to act alone. Instead, we may band together as collectives and communities to exert pressure on policymakers and to demonstrate alternate methods of operation because it's difficult to envisage a single step that would change our energy and transportation systems away from fossil fuels and cease deforestation as people. This becomes more effective as more individuals participate.

History

The earliest environmental activists may have been the Bishnoi Hindus of Khejarli in India, who attempted to prevent the Maharaja of Jodhpur from chopping down a forest to build a palace in 1720 and were assassinated for their efforts. During the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, the contemporary conceptions of environmental and animal rights emerged with the increasing exploitation of the natural world. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Henry David Thoreau, and John Muir began to advocate for the preservation of areas of the natural world from human interference.

Non-Profit Organizations working on Climate Change

There are several non-profit organizations working towards climate change:

  • 350.org.
  • Citizens Climate Lobby.
  • Climate Reality Project.
  • Climate Solutions.
  • ConservAmerica.
  • Earth Justice.
  • ecoAmerica.
  • GreenPeace USA.

Pakistan

The Pakistani government has launched a number of efforts to address the effects of climate change. The “billion-tree tsunami project”, “miyawaki urban forests”, “protected area management”, “bamboo production”, and so on are among the initiatives. Pakistan is one of the top ten countries most impacted by climate change.

  • The Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) is a registered Coalition (registered under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984) dedicated to raising awareness about climate change in Pakistan and influencing policymaking at the regional, national, and sub-national levels through research, knowledge-sharing, and advocacy. In the run-up to COP21, the notion of building a networking platform was floated.
  • Ministry of Climate Change.
  • Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency
  • WWF Pakistan
  • IUCN: International Union For Conservation Of Nature

Becoming a Climate Activist

1. Educating Yourself

You don't have to be an expert on climate change to be a climate activist. Self-education is a fantastic place to start. Educating about climate change may help you become a more effective activist and boost your confidence as you embark on your climate action path.

2. Live Sustainably 

Human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the leading cause of climate change. Simple improvements to your everyday routine can aid in the fight against the climate disaster.

3. Participate in Collective Action

Connect to communal action to go beyond your own effect. Grass - root networks are an effective strategy for achieving local and global climate and justice objectives.

Importance

Climate activists of all ages are uniting throughout the world to raise awareness, inspire courage, and demand action. As a result, over 110 nations have lately vowed to become carbon neutral by 2050, representing almost 65 percent of global emissions. Renewable energy capacity throughout the world is quickly expanding, with a 45 percent rise in 2020 alone.

About the Author: Iman Haroon is presently a student of Bachelor of Environmental Science at the Government College Women University, Sialkot. She's a green blogger who has volunteered to write for TENL to raise environmental awareness.