The International Climate Change Campaign - Speech or Presentation Example

The international climate change campaign Name Course Lecture Date Friends of the Earth: The international climate change campaign The campaign to be used in this assignment is the one carried out by friends of the earth group, and they referred to it as the international climate change campaign. The group campaign for the most urgent environmental and social issues that are affecting people at present times. They also set put to challenge the current model of corporate globalization and economic globalization and advocates for solutions that will help in creating environmentally sustainable as well as socially just societies (Friends of the Earth 2015b). Scientists around the globe have given warning related to a planetary emergency that people around the world are facing currently. The impacts of climate change are already being experienced and they may even get worse if no immediate action is taken to avert them. Friends of the Earth are campaigning for a fair deal in global climate, and this means that the rich countries should Cut their emission at faster rates and They should play an active role in helping the developing countries to change and start making use of clean energy Based on these countries such as the UK need to cut their emission by about 75% come 2030 but the plans that have been put in place by the government seems to be a long way to realizing the proposed reduction in emissions. Governments are not working at a fast pace, and people need to unite on national levels, regional levels and globally with the aim of pressuring the governments to act (Committee on Climate Change 2015). In collaboration with other friends of earth is running a global climate campaign and the campaign is pushing for: Reduction of carbon emissions based on science and justice Loss and damage mechanism offering redress and compensation to communities and countries that have been affected by loss and damage Increase in EU emission targets Ban of dirty energy projects Offering of compensation to those people who are affected by climate change Development of smart ways to finance green climate Rich countries should also offer technology and finance to the poorer ones to enable them to act and Clean and affordable energy being seen as the solution to energy poverty (Friends of the Earth 2015b). Impacts of climate change One of the major effects of climate change is high temperatures. Heat-trapping gases that are emitted by automobiles, power plants and deforestation are warming up the globe. The high temperatures are to be blamed for the increased rate of heat-related illnesses, increased intensity of the storms and rising seas. Climate change has also led to change in landscapes. The changing patterns of snow and rain and the rising temperatures are forcing people to plant plants and trees in the Polar Regions. The vegetation shift will weaken the work that has been done the communities in conserving the environment. As communities try to adjust to the ever changing climate by relocating to cooler regions, animals that depend on humans will also be forced to move. Despite these, their movement may be barred by the development. Another significant impact of climate change is that it possesses a risk to wildlife (Edwards, Geoffrey and Clark 2001). The rising temperatures are changing vegetation and weather patterns all over the globe and this at times forces animals to migrate to cooler regions for them to survive. Despite these, with the rapid nature that climate change is taking place it is more likely that with time it will exceed species ability to adjust and migrate. As argued by some experts if the trend of climate change continues some animal species will be headed for extinction by the year 2050 (Edwards, Geoffrey and Clark 2001). Climate change has also led to rising sea levels. As the globe heat up there is an increase in sea levels since the warmer water are bound to occupy more space than the colder waters through a process known as thermal expansion. This problem is further compounded by the melting glaciers dumping fresh water in the oceans. The rising seas poses a significant threat to inundate island and also threatens to displace the coastal populations, grind down shorelines, cause damage to property along the coastal line and destroy ecosystems for example the wetlands and mangroves that protect most coasts against major storms. Another impact of climate change is that it has increased the risk of floods, fires and drought. Climate change is increasing the circulation of water above, on and under the earth surface thus causing floods and drought to e more severe, frequent and widespread (Edwards, Geoffrey and Clark 2001). High temperatures increase the moisture that evaporates from water and land, and this leads to drought in most of the areas. Areas that are more prone to drought become more vulnerable to flooding when it rains. If the temperature continues to rise globally, the droughts will be more severe, and this will have devastating consequences for human health, agriculture and water supply. This is clearly shown in the diagram below The impacts of climate change are widespread all over the globe. This is evident in areas that are experiencing prolonged dry spells such in Asia and some parts of Africa. Additional some animals have become in existence since they have not been able to cope with the changing climate. If measures are not put in place to deal with climate change, the effects may be more severe in near future. The core objective of the campaign is to reduce the amount of carbon that is being emitted so as to avert the impacts of climate change on the live hood of people all over the globe. Through the campaign friends of the earth hopes that people will become more aware of the climate change issues and they will play a role in implementing change by believing that change starts with oneself (Friends of the Earth 2015a). Situational analysis An important factor that the organisations need to consider is the companies that contribute substantially to carbon emission. By doing so, this will enable them to focus their attention on communicating with these firms and proposing to them the strategies that they should put in place to reduce their emissions. Another factor that organisations can consider is the best way that they can reach out to the people to encourage and ensure that they take up measures in mitigating climate change. For the younger generation, the organisation can make proper use of social media sites such as facebook, twitter and YouTube just to mention a few since the young people mostly make use of such sites on a daily basis (Taylor 2012). For other generations, they can make use of print adverts and television adverts. By making use of a broad range of communicating tools they will eventually reach a wider audience making the issue known and with time the targeted audience will start to implement positive changes. The impacts of climate change are being experienced in very corner of the globe and this has eventually led to the emergence of a wide of range groups in most countries with the aim of enhancing awareness and developing practical actions to climate change (Taylor 2012). A good example of such as a campaign is the Manchester Campaign against climate change. The campaign mainly focuses on fracking. Also in Oxford there are a broad range of groups that are involved in climate change campaigns. Over time, the groups had also come together and formed a climate and flooding alliance. They were able to link the areas vulnerability to the risk associated with flooding and thus the need for urgent cuts in emissions. The campaign has engaged and mobilised the community members a great deal. Individuals have become more aware of climate change, and they are advocating for measures to be put in place to ensure that it is affected are mitigated and that they do no spread any further (William 2005). Community members have been engaged, and they participate in the campaigns irrespective of their age and profession with each one of them calling for climate change talks and actions. Additionally at individual levels they are taking up measures to reduce climate change. The concerns about climate change are deeply and widely felt by almost everyone in the group. This is evident with the large numbers of groups that are cropping up to help solve the effects of climate change. Additionally the issue has also received attention from major organisations such as the UN, and a wide list of the powerful countries have been involved in the discussion. This shows the high level of commitment of government and their people to aid in mitigating the risks of climate change. A lot of evidence exist that shows that politicians and other decision makers are aware and at the same time prepared to take action on climate change. A good example of these is the UK government. The UK government has enacted a climate change act and through the act the government has taken a number of steps that limits the emission of greenhouses gases by the use of legally binding targets (Committee on Climate Change 2015). A powerful doctor’s lobby group in Australia has also ramped up pressure on their government to makes action on issues of climate change. Based on the panel's vice president Dr. Parnis the doctors ought to play an active and leading role in mitigation of climate change since they are already experiencing adverse health effects that are putting additional strains on the profession. The doctors are mostly treating patients with diseases that are attributed to greater temperatures. The group also argues that though the government have been playing a role their role is disappointing. They called for more action about climate change (AAP 2015). The South African government also terms climate change as been a major threat to sustainable development. The government believes that is the threat is not mitigated, climate change will have the potentially to undo and at the same time undermine all the positive advances that have been made by countries in their development to what they are currently. The South African government is committed to addressing climate change, and they are drafting a white paper on the national climate change responses. From these examples, it is clearly evident that government and other organisations are playing an essential role in trying to mitigate climate change. Therefore, they should continue to engage meaningfully and actively in the climate change negotiations that are taking place internationally. This will ensure that they can secure multi-lateral and binding agreements that will be able to limit the global temperatures increase to low levels of at least 2°C. This outcome will be credible, fair and inclusive. Theoretical and practical ideas about social change Despite the increasingly production of knowledge related to nature, there is no agreement on the strategies that can be adopted in building green, sustainable and environmental friendly societies. Social change is aspects that have received full recognition, and people who are involved have less knowledge on the issue they are aiming to tackle. Through the adoption of the new media strategy, a large group of audience will receive the message, and they will act to avert any adverse effects of a certain issue. Another idea that could shape the new media strategy is focusing more on people’s strength as opposed to their needs (Taylor 2012). People may have strengths in advocating for social change and lack interest in other areas. In regard to these the new media strategy should provide frameworks for such people to advocate for social change and engage in it fully. The other ideas are the social determinants of the social issue at hand. In regard to these companies that are located in areas where there is human population and they seems to be causing high emissions to the environment can be forced to change or face the risk of closure. Engagement The problems and solutions should be structures from the most severe one to the less severe one. This would help in ensuring that the problems that affect people most are dealt with first. The campaign can appeal and mobilise support by dealing with issues that are affecting their lives on a daily basis. This will make the community be more concerned with the issues and ways of dealing with it. The strategy ought to target businesses and companies and communities since despite efforts by other stakeholders such as the government, is these target group are not willing nothing may be achieved (Ruddiman 2003). This is based on the fact that the businesses and companies are the ones who contribute significantly to global warming, and the communities can affect their decision if they choose not to purchase from them. These groups of people will play an essential and leading role in bringing about the desired change. Friends of the Earth want companies and business to be engaged in solving climate change and they also requires them to show that they are already making improvement in reducing their emissions and pollution to the environment (William 2005). New media tactics and timeline With time, the power of social media cannot be dismissed. In earlier days social media was just seen as a tool that could be used to share picture and keep in touch with friends but over time it has become formidable force in regard to societal change shining light on aspects that were unknown, it has also deepened conversations and empowered citizens in the world to unite and make change possible in a number of ways. Friends of the Earth can make Google use social media sites such as Website/s, email, Facebook, Twitter, Messaging, Smartphone apps and other mobile technology, YouTube, Flicker, Linked In, Foursquare in passing their message to a broad range of people all over the globe since everyone has a role to play in averting the impacts of climate change (Taylor 2012). Through the use of social media sites, friends of the earth with the able to make the issue they are advocating for more visible. Social media sites will also offer an environment and medium for individuals to express themselves independently. The campaign can make proper use of Facebook by forming Facebook pages related to the campaign and requesting people, who are in support of their initiatives to like, share and comment on their pages. Through the pages, they can also request people to play a role in mitigating the effects of global warming. Students can be asked to walk and even use cycling bikes to run their errands on campus and later in their daily activities. By doing so, they will be helping a great deal in reducing carbon emission to the environment (Ruddiman 2003). Pictures such as the one shown below need to be posted in such sites so as encourage people to reduce their impacts in climate change The facebook pages can also post pictures that on twitter and other social media accounts showing people on the adverse effects on climate change like the ones shown below The campaigners can also make YouTube videos and share them online. The video can deal with aspects such as the effects of climate change and ways of mitigating further effects. This will primarily make their campaigning easier seen people will see the reality and thus acting promptly to solve the various issues. Content Twenty Tweets on climate change 1. I am pretty scary. Boo! #lonely. "Facing the fears of Climate Change 2. @climate change Climate change is impacting on every country all over the globe no nation is immune 3. @climate change is the most severe environmental crisis in human history 4. @climate change if I had money to give out to best-performing companies the fossil fuel companies would not receive even a coin 5. @climate change "6 Ways #ClimateChange Will Ruin Your Life" http://youtu.be/E4qHnA8DjUE  6. How do you #getupand change the world? Like this: http://bit.ly/1LXp5BI  via @Greenpeace #climate change 7. Looking ahead to @COP21, it's crucial that nations embrace the private sector as partners in combating #ClimateChange http://mikebloom.bg/1AGfnU5 8. #Climate change could make changes to the oceans more in 85 years as compared to what the nature was able to do 3 million years 9. @climate change Media is actually failing on coverage of Climate Change issues 10. @climate change falling oil prices should not undermine people investment and use of green energy 11. @climate change pricing of carbon is becoming a more complex challenge 12. @climate change is the science of climate change have not grabbed you, the music of climate change will grab you eventually 13. @climate change everyone one has a role to play in mitigating the effects of climate change 14. @climate change people need to abandon the coal ship and jump on to the renewable energy boat 15. @climate change some developing countries are in the race in implementing and making use of the wind and solar energy 16. @climate change plant one try and shape the next generation #climate change 17. @climate change government can set up measures to reduce emission, but the businesses need to engage in climate change 18. #climate change communities should be engaged in tackling climate change 19. #climate change businesses are critical to the success of emissions agreements 20. @climate change the time to act on and fight climate change is now or never. A YouTube video on climate change The following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4qHnA8DjUE&feature=youtu.be shows a YouTube video on the way that climate change can ruin people life. These video URL need to be posted on the various social media sites to sensitize people on climate change and thus they will be able to understand the reality. References AAP 2015, ‘Doctors union mounts push for government action to tackle climate change’, Sydney Morning Herald, 1 June, viewed 2 June 2015, . Committee on Climate Change 2015, The climate change act and UK regulations, viewed 2 June 2015, . Edwards, P, Geoffrey, M & Clark, A 2001, Changing the atmosphere: expert knowledge and environmental governance, Mass: MIT Press, Cambridge. Friends of the Earth 2015a, Climate Change, viewed 2 June 2015, . Friends of the Earth 2015b, International climate campaign, viewed 2 June 2015, . Ruddiman, W 2003, ‘The anthropogenic greenhouse era began thousands of years ago’, Climate Change vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 261–293. Taylor, H 2012, Social media for social change: Using the Internet to Tackle Intolerance, Institute of Strategic Dialogue, Europe. William, F 2005, Plows, plagues, and petroleum: how humans took control of climate, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J. Read More