The Urgent Need for Advocacy in Climate Protection

What YOU can do to invoke change

I often hear stories of individuals who were once passionate about invoking change in the way the Climate Crisis is addressed but have been discouraged by the lack of impact they felt they had. They feel discouraged to be apart of the environmental policy industry. Or they feel overwhelmed by the problems that feel out of their control. Overwhelmed by the news, social media, violence and uncertainty. Some are in a doom state of mind and say "why does anything matter, the Earth is on fire anyway." I hear and see this statement everywhere, particularly as we joke about the state of the world to cope with what feels like is out of our control.

When climate change feels too large to address, how do we persist? When our efforts to instil change leave us feeling powerless, how do we persist? Climate change has become the new reality, the new normal, something that has been accepted by many and placed in the back of the minds of many more. Climate change can no longer take a backseat. We need to keep talking about climate change. We need to be advocating, consistently, for change and reform.

Importance of advocacy.

To advocate is to publicly support something. You can support a policy, a cause or even a person. Advocacy is a general term and it can be done in many ways. The most important part of advocacy is the public aspect of supporting something. To

suggesting carpooling. Or you can be an advocate by emerging yourself into a career in environmental policy. Advocacy contains different levels of commitment but the most important thing to remember- advocacy is free. Publicly supporting climate reform is free. If all you can do to assist climate reform is be an advocate, you are already making a difference.

publicly support is to share with others your intentions and to spread awareness and knowledge. Advocacy isn't always showing up to protest, though that is a very effective way to communicate what you stand for. You can be an advocate for climate change by sharing your sustainability life-hacks with your neighbor. You can be an advocate by telling your friends the benefits of biking to work instead of driving, or

the most important thing to remember- advocacy is free

Picture: Unsplash: Li-An Lim.

Importance of climate protest.

Climate protest, often also referred to as climate strikes, are an effective tool of collective action and advocacy. It turns the attention to climate change. Protest are disruptive to everyday life. No matter who the recipients are and what they believe, they will be made aware of the issue. The media plays a large factor in widening the audience for who can be exposed to the issues of the climate crisis. Bystanders, media consumers, politicians and corporations... society will see that the Climate Crisis is an issue to a large group of people. Enough of an issue that people are coming together to demand change.

Collective action is empowering. Advocating for reform alone can feel daunting and frankly, unfulfilling at times. Mobilizing with a group of likeminded individuals revives the feeling of your voice being heard and making a difference. There is also power in numbers. Truth be told, as an individual, you can be doing everything right- living a zero-waste lifestyle- but you can only do so much to mitigate the impacts of climate change alone. Climate protest can also serve as a platform for networking so that after the protest has concluded, you can connect further with individuals who have the same values as you, who want to work together to install change.

Climate protest can be an especially effective tool for opposition to a specific policy or corporate practice. Protesting specific actions of a corporation, for example, puts their actions in front of the public eye. Those who may also disagree with supporting the corporation's practices, but were unaware, will now be informed of the potentially harmful actions being done. Protest keeps corporations and politicians accountable for their decision making.

Picture: Unsplash: Joshua Brown.

Ways to advocate for climate reform.

Climate protest. As mentioned, this is an extremely effective way to promote change, network, and feel empowered.
Join a club. Many college campuses have several clubs you can join that are geared towards climate justice and are great places to start if you want to know how to get involved or network with other students and members of your community.
Subscribe to organizations and networks. By subscribing to organizations or networks that align with your values, you are supporting their mission as well.
Boycott. Boycott what you can. Boycott unsustainable brands and business. Boycott fast fashion by simple not buying from fast fashion retailers. Boycott brands that produce single use plastic.
Petition. Online petitions can reach a global scale. You can sign petitions that you align with or even start your own. Petitions are a great way to educate others as well as put forth the concerns you want to combat.
Create a website. Do it for yourself or do it to inform others. Whose to say your website won't take off and create change?
Share your beliefs. Share what you believe with others. It doesn't have to be a political discussion when you talk about your decisions to be more sustainable and encourage others to do the same. And if they support you as a person, they should support your decision and willingness to discuss topics that are important to you.

Schaeffer Neves, F. (2020, November 9). Climate strikes: How effective is it to participate in them? Leaders for Climate Action. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://lfca.earth/strikes/#:~:text=A%202019%20study%20published%20in,action%20can%20create%20on%20people.

Vestergren , S., Finnerty, S., & Gülsüm Acar, Y. (2021, December 16). Here's why we need climate protests: Even if some think they're annoying. The Conversation. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/heres-why-we-need-climate-protests-even-if-some-think-theyre-annoying-172191