A Quick Review of the Science Museum’s Climate Talks, 2021
The Science Museum is running a series of talks on climate change as a build up to the COP26 talks in Glasgow in November 2021. Climate volunteer Joy tells us what is coming up and reviews the first session entitled Climate Change: Why does it matter?
Sessions are streamed live on the Science Museum Website but tickets must be purchased beforehand. They are free and the intended audience is youth and adults (rather than children). The talks are available on their website (and YouTube) after the event. There is a FAQ section which clearly provides other relevant information the audience may be seeking.
Other talks cover topics such as Is Capitalism Compatible with Environmentalism (Feb 26th, 2021), Climate Change: A View from Space (March 16th 2021) and The Clean Air Revolution (May 13th, 2021).
Climate Change: Why Does it Matter?
The first session addressed the topic of Climate Change: Why Does it Matter? It was a discussion between four environmentalists from different walks of life (a scientist, a politician, an entrepreneur and Dr Jane Goodall (who’s work spans more than a title!)). Each participant answered questions related to environmental matters in their context and then went on to discuss questions sent in from the audience.
The first part of the session, where the experts described their work and perspectives, was both informative and largely positive, with a focus on what is being done and the progress which has been made.
One interesting point which was made a number of times was the emphasis on the role youth have to respond to the climate crisis. It was argued that youth make up the majority of the population in many parts of the world and thus utilising their engagement, is powerful and will result in change. I agree with this point but I also feel that it is only half of the solution. Unfortunately, while youth may have numbers, energy and the strategies to generate popular support, they often lack positions of power and the required finance to execute change. For this reason, in my opinion, the middle and upper age ranges must also be engaged and this is sometimes harder as they have established attitudes and patterns of living which can create an inertia.
Overall, this session was informative and interesting although I found it a little too long. Nevertheless, if you are interested in the topic, I would recommend a watch.
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