Reasons to act: a better world is possible (Your vision of a better future 1)
We’ve now got a clear idea of the dire future of climate breakdown that we’re currently headed towards – a future that we should avert at any cost.
While averting this dire future is a crucial part of the motivation to take action, it’s also crucial to envision the positive, exciting and inspiring aspects of the kind of future we want.
To get us started on this journey, watch this video by climate scientist and science communicator Dr Adam Levy (aka Climate Adam), in which he imagines what a brighter post-climate-crisis future might look like.
It’s crucial to develop positive visions of a better world that we can create as we tackle the climate crisis.
These positive visions should be characterised not just by the absence of catastrophe or by things not getting worse, but by things getting better. A positive vision can inspire and excite people. It can give them a sense of direction, create a sense of longing for a different future and powerfully motivate them to take action.
As the novelist Don DeLillo said:
“Longing on a large scale is what makes history.”
Building your own vision of a better future
“What we cannot imagine cannot come into being.”
What would a better world look like, in your view?
What are cities like?
- How do people move around, and how do they feel when moving around?
- What kind of public spaces are there for people to hang out or get together?
- How much nature is there in cities, and in what forms?
- How are people and communities supporting themselves and each other to cope with the impacts of climate change?
What kind of places do people live in?
- How do people heat or cool their homes?
- How do people manage waste?
- How do people shelter from heat stress?
- What are the streets like where people live (for example, cars, gardens, children playing)?
What would it be like to live in this future?
- How do people spend their time?
- What values or ways of living define this future?
Share your thoughts
Once you have come up with your vision, share and discuss with other learners in the Comments section.
Climate Action: Tackling the Climate Crisis for a Better World
Climate Action: Tackling the Climate Crisis for a Better World
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