CARBON CYCLE
Our actions have consequences. The fuels we burn at home, and at work, through our travel, and through the things we buy cause excess carbon dioxide and other gases to enter the atmosphere. These cause the planet to heat up and create dangerous changes to our climate. The following video produced by the World Meteorological Organization – WMO illustrates the carbon cycle., and why we create a problem:
Factories and houses emit carbon. The animals emit methane and carbon. Deforestation causes more carbon to go into the atmosphere. Nature can cope with much of this, but humans add too much for it to manage. As a result, the coral reefs in the sea die, we get more floods, and the people in continents like Africa suffer famine. The way to end this is for us to change what we eat, buy and how we heat and light our homes and businesses.
IMPACT
If we do not change our lifestyles through changing our behaviours we will continue to see the floods and fires we have seen in 2022, and in years before.
In Shropshire we have the Severn, which floods more often, causing chaos. Remember this in Ironbridge:- uploaded to Youtube by the Shropshire Star. Only if we human beings understand all this, will we take action to save our planet.
WE NEED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION “WHY?”
When faced with the need to do something different, all people will always ask the question “Why?”. Children start at a very early age, and adults carry on through their whole lives. But over time we develop our habits and mindsets, and when we are asked to change, we will always ask “why?”.
Simon Sinek is an inspirational speaker. He explains that people need the answer to three questions before they buy anything – “What, How and Why?”. However, people only buy if they get a proper answer to the question “Why?”. He illustrates the world of computers. There are many people who sell computers, mobile phones, and MP3 players. But Apple is successful because its message is “we make products that make your life easier, trust us” – not that they make better computers etc. It appeals to the inner workings of the brain – the Limbic system.
When people believe what you believe then they “buy”. The challenge is to get people to believe that taking action is emotionally important to them, not that they mustjust respond to the climate emergency.
While we may not as individuals be buying directly “new behaviour”, we may well need to think of ourselves as “buying in” to the concept of behaving differently.
