Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Opinion The youth climate movement has learned and grown - now is the time to be heard

Irish climate activist Jessica Dunne says she has learned a lot since the massive global protest three years ago today.

ON THIS DAY in 2019, 15,000 students took to the streets around the world to shine a light on the climate crisis.

At the age of 14, I was keenly aware of the climate crisis but at a loss as to what I, as a young person, could do. Standing with my peers chanting on the streets that day, I felt a sense of empowerment like nothing before.

Three years later, we can clearly see the impact that this school strike and the subsequent actions have had on the way we view this crisis.

Since that first big protest, we’ve seen a greater cultural awareness of climate change. While in the past the discussions of our climate were somewhat relegated to counter cultures, we now see conversations in the mainstream about it quite frequently, which means the average person has at least a base knowledge of the impact of the crisis and the proposed solutions.

Understanding the crisis

As the discussion has become more mainstream, our understanding of different aspects of the crisis has evolved greatly. Within the youth climate movement in Ireland, our initial mantra was about our futures, but with reflection and education, we’ve realised the importance of uplifting the voices of people from around the world who are already facing the impacts of the climate crisis.

The climate crisis becoming a mainstream topic of debate has allowed us to develop and improve our understanding of it but there is also the need for healthy scepticism when faced with that mainstream conversation. One way we can see the evolution of the “popularity” of climate consciousness is through advertising.

There’s no doubt there’s the pressure felt by companies to reduce the impact they have on the environment, and that’s generally positive, but the climate is all too often used by corporations in a cynical manner known as greenwashing.

Greenwashing is a process by which a corporation, individual, organisation or government will claim to be environmentally conscious while still impacting it negatively; One pervasive example of this is the clothing made from recycled materials by fast fashion companies while they still exploit both people and planet.

Fast fashion usually has 52 micro-seasons a year. This is only made possible through the poor treatment and pay of workers and the approach of quantity over quality, meaning much of the clothes are discarded after several wears leading to high levels of waste and overconsumption.

Saying one thing, doing another

This is the paradoxical nature of much of climate-conscious advertising, touting a label as eco-friendly while directly harming the planet in the process. Sadly, these mixed messages often harm the public understanding of the climate crisis.

For example, when given a greenwashed ‘easy solution’ like buying a recycled range of clothing, many won’t do the research to learn the true impacts on the planet or how to support the existing solutions to the crisis.

Greenwashing can be seen as a net-positive by some due to its platforming of conversations about the environment. However, when corporations use the language of climate consciousness to avoid accountability and continue with “business-as-usual” the harms to the environment are only compounded.

Another harm in the mainstream platforming of discussions on the climate is whose voices get heard. The people on the front lines combating climate change are indigenous peoples who have protected the environment for generations, those most impacted by this crisis are from island nations and overexploited countries in the global south.

Marginalised communities are also likely to feel the impact of climate change to a greater extent. However, our conversations often centre on the voices of white, European activists.

All voices are valuable in this discussion, and everyone should be highlighting the impacts of the crisis, but when the voices of white European activists are disproportionately platformed and valued we end up with a very homogenous view of climate activists and a very Eurocentric, western view of how the climate crisis will impact the world. The intent can be to make the discussion more palatable and therefore more engaging, but it only serves to discount the lived experiences of those most impacted and further silence marginalised communities.

Political efforts

Last November I went to COP26 in Glasgow, and I was able to see first-hand the way we have grown since March 2019. The major protests were helmed by incredible activists from all corners of the globe. Marginalised voices and those from the most affected areas by climate change were being platformed at events all around Glasgow. However, this was all the result of community organising.

Within the walls of COP26, billionaires and polluters were platformed while the voices being uplifted outside were being dismissed and silenced.

When I arrived in Glasgow, I was immediately greeted by signs celebrating the UK’s commitment to net-zero in 2030. Net-zero is a non-commitment relying on carbon offsetting and technologies that don’t yet exist while doing little to invest in renewable energies and still using fossil fuels.

The idea of carbon offsets and Net Zero puts the focus on mitigating the continued damage to the environment rather than cutting out the damage itself. It aims to merely cut the head of the weed off, rather than pulling out the roots.

In a world where the climate crisis is constantly being discussed yet, people feel powerless to affect real change, we can feel anxious and scared. The sense of disempowerment I felt before 15 March 2019, caused great climate anxiety and the feeling comes back to me when I see the misinformation being platformed in some media and by our leaders.

The platforming of issues is decided by who has the power to spread information and too often these are bad-faith actors or at least actors not willing to face the facts. This has made me feel powerless and almost apathetic, not thinking my voice would make an impact. But I found the best way to combat climate anxiety was to get involved in fighting for climate justice.

Standing on the streets protesting, shouting facts through the megaphone, challenging the misinformation and chanting together, we take back control of the information and we are able to uplift and platform all the inconvenient truths that go unheard. At a time when these companies are encouraging people to avert their eyes from this crisis, we are forcing people to look straight at it.

On 25 March a global strike will happen again. The theme of the protest was conceptualised and organised by activists from the most affected areas by climate change and marginalised communities, showing how far we’ve come since that first protest in 2019.

While it was a great start to the movement, we have now developed a better understanding of how to frame these issues and who to platform. This is best exemplified in the international hashtag for this protest, #peoplenotprofit, which directly challenges the way commodities and fossil fuels are prioritised over marginalised people.

You can see strike information on the Fridays for Future Ireland Twitter and Instagram. See you on the streets.

Jessica Dunne is an activist and songwriter from Dublin Ireland. She began activism in the climate movement but now also engages in more general activism, realising the connected nature of all social issues.

voices logo

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

View 20 comments
Close
20 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rui Firmino
    Favourite Rui Firmino
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:58 PM

    Funny how they make mistakes and suffer no consequences but if if a customer misses a payment or accidentally exceeds their credit limit or something like that they waste no time penalising them with fees. Are they offering any compensation to those affected? Or is a nice, cheap apology the best they can do?

    284
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Keenan
    Favourite Paul Keenan
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:00 PM

    When u are transferring such sensitive data u would think to check and double check and maybe even triple check, wouldn’t you? Doh from Homer simpson comes to mind

    223
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gavin Conran
    Favourite Gavin Conran
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:09 PM

    @Paul Keenan: Might even run a couple dress rehearsals with a test data set and validate .

    126
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Walsh
    Favourite Jason Walsh
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 4:11 PM

    @Paul Keenan: shows that they tried to automate it but didn’t test the process enough

    46
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Ryan
    Favourite Dave Ryan
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 4:51 PM

    @Paul Keenan: i have to laugh at the attatud of AIB …. just show the letter we send you to the Irish credit agency and it will be grand… until ya try contact the ICB it’s a nightmare to deal with them

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Type17
    Favourite Type17
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 4:57 PM

    @Dave Ryan: It’s BoI, not AIB. Do you work at BoI? – details don’t seem to be your thing.

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Will Roche
    Favourite Will Roche
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 5:40 PM

    @Gavin Conran: basic pre release checks.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fergal McDonagh
    Favourite Fergal McDonagh
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:29 PM

    And these are the guys who we are supposed to trust in a cashless society. Hilarious.

    219
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Marcus Suridius
    Favourite Marcus Suridius
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:38 PM

    @Fergal McDonagh: I wouldn’t trust with cash payments either.

    81
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eamon Kelly
    Favourite Eamon Kelly
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 2:43 PM

    Bandits of Ireland

    205
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dan Danny
    Favourite Dan Danny
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:02 PM

    Yea bull of Ireland, not very good at anything. Think a lot of ppl are switching to Revoult for day to day banking as well

    120
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Elaine Irwin
    Favourite Elaine Irwin
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 6:22 PM

    They owe the customers an actual apology. Myself and my partner were one of those customers affected by this. While on the phone attempting to deal with it he was constantly accused of not having the money in his account. Was asked numerous times if the money actually left the account, which it had. They eventually blamed KBC. When KBC was contacted they said a number of customers had called with the same issue and they put up a complaint for us. All this happened in early March. This issue was not just discovered. It’s been happening for over a month and a half.

    87
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gert McNulty
    Favourite Gert McNulty
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:49 PM

    Started the application process through a broker in July 2022. My application was lost by BOI Apparently. Deposit down on a property and still haven’t got the loan pack yet. Have eaten 4 interest rate hikes. I will be going to the ombudsman. The bank keep delaying which benefits them and screws me. Its daylight robbery . Any advice would be welcome. Broker is inept

    138
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thom Thumb
    Favourite Thom Thumb
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 3:47 PM

    How shocking…
    It’s very unlike the bank to make a mistake

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Richardson
    Favourite Derek Richardson
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 6:57 PM

    All those mortgages should now be null and void the banks dishonoured the terms and agreement of the signed contracts

    45
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Declan Moran
    Favourite Declan Moran
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 4:30 PM

    Ah, the good old Irish banking system. Got my ‘apology letter today ‘. You can always count on them to screw a thing or two up.

    65
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mark Sullivan
    Favourite Mark Sullivan
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 6:04 PM

    Not good enough. Should be providing all affected with compensation for the cost of an ICB report when fix applied and ICB should review and expunge where necessary rejected credit applications where this BOI error impacted the decision.

    41
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute sandra
    Favourite sandra
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 6:43 PM

    I am so glad I didn’t go to boi from kbc. Lousy bank. Always some sort of report of mistakes in the news regarding them.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colette Kearns
    Favourite Colette Kearns
    Report
    Apr 11th 2023, 10:39 PM

    Just bankers following politicians, say ” I’m sorry ” & that it, no consequences what so ever!

    23
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds