Coping with Dystopia: Coping with Climate Change
June 5, 2023 — COPING WITH DYSTOPIA
Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world? Does it seem like society is fraying at the edges? Our podcast, Coping with Dystopia, is here to help!
We speak with people who have experienced it all and come out the other side. These are thoughtful, real-world talks that offer practical and philosophical ways to deal with the chaos. And maybe there’s even the odd glimpse of humour and happiness. Coping with Dystopia is the podcast the world needs right now.
In this episode, we are coping with climate change. As we all know, the data display a grim picture of the extent of the emergency. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts that sea levels could be 1 to 2 meters higher by the end of the century. According to the same panel, we need to cut global emissions by 2030. However, governments seem to take little action in response to the current global crisis. A study says that 1% of companies is responsible for 71% of greenhouse emissions since 1988.
Grassroots, small-scale and local solutions like the one created by Peter van Wingerden, might prove to be the solution. Peter is Dutch and he got concerned about the sea level rise that will impact his country. After he traveled to New York to see the impact of hurricane Sandy that hit the city in 2012, he got frightened by the food shortage he witnessed. That’s why he came up with the idea of the Floating farm, the first farm in the world built on the water, in the harbour of Rotterdam. The farm offers space for 40 cows and is a great example of a sustainable and circular economy.
To help us cope with climate change, Peter gave us 5 pieces of advice to help us cope with climate change:
Don’t wait in making a change. You can start small (Eg. collect rainwater and give rainwater to the plants).
Ask your parliament to have weekly discussions on climate change, involving youngsters and the entire society.
Take small steps at your city or at your country level, at your broadcasting station: tell a story, create awareness that we need to change, and act right now.
Write a letter to your city, to your country, write a letter to the parliament.
Start with yourself; you need to be motivated and strongly believe that we need to do something not for today, but for the next generation.
If you want to hear more about the floating farm, Jonathan will bring you on a live visit to the first-ever floating farm. Listen to the full episode here…
The content of this website represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.