As the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) launched in Madrid, Spain, on Monday, 2 December 2019, the United Nations (UN) called for serious and increased ambition on climate action. The UN is urging us all to take charge and combat climate change in our own way with the key aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Ordinary citizens are a huge part of the challenge, with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, describing current human behaviour as a “war against nature.” Therefore, within COP25, a Green Zone has been created, where civil society, young leaders, innovators and academics are encouraged to express ideas and solutions, as well as dialogue and shape actions for combating climate change and make contributions to the global climate change strategy.
While the UN is requesting more ambitious national action plans from member states, the reality is that every citizen should act. The most common thought when climate change is mentioned is: “I’m only one person, so I am unable to make a difference.” If every citizen believes this, very little will change. There are 7.5 billion people in the world, and if each one combats climate change in their own way, significantly more can be achieved to protect our planet.
