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Victoria Bernardo Faustino is a student in the Sustainable Business Management program. In this blog entry, she speaks about issues of climate change and directs us to actions we can all individually take.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to my mother by video and then I noticed she was wearing a sweatshirt, thick socks, and much more clothes than necessary for the spring season, I asked her why she was wearing all of that and to my surprise, she told me that it was cold in Sao Paulo.
That information didn’t make sense at all, by this time of the year Brazil should be much warmer. This simple conversation got me thinking for a few days and made me remember one of my classes, SDG101 about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how, for some psychological reason, we are nonchalant about climate change. The professor mentioned that the expression “climate change” doesn’t express how chaotic the changes are and that could be one of the reasons for our apathy towards it. I would say I agree with that. This phrase makes us feel safe and does not cause a sense of urgency as it’s only some small change that happens occasionally or that has a minimal impact on our lives. However, that’s not true and even the United Nations recognizes it.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs are a combination of 17 goals and 169 targets, one of these goals is Climate Action (number 13). Its purpose is very clear: “Take urgent action to combat climate changes and its impacts” (THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development). One thing that I like about this definition is that it’s the only one that tells us to act urgently, no other goal will have the verb “to act” or the word urgent in its definition.
But you might be thinking, what can I do about it? Well, the United Nations created a booklet with 10 actions that can be taken by anyone who wants to help limit climate change and can be accessed here. These actions are not only a guide but also make us rethink the way we travel, the things we buy, the food we eat, and even the electricity we use (United Nations). All of us can make a difference because even though we might come from different countries we are all united on the same planet.
Sincerely,
Victoria B. Faustino
Sustainable Business Management
References
---. “THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development.” United Nations, www.sdgs.un.org/goals.
United Nations. “Start With These Ten Actions!” United Nations, www.un.org/en/actnow/ten-actions.
Spiske, Markus. “-.” Pexels, 20 Sept. 2019, www.pexels.com/pt-br/foto/mudanca-alteracao-modificacao-clima-2990650.
Нестеров, Сергей. “-.” Pexels, 3 Oct. 2019, www.pexels.com/photo/an-industrial-chimney-over-a-thick-fog-emitting-smoke-8884963.
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