Climate breakdown is unfair and disproportionally affects some communities more than others – so being inclusive and representative matters a great deal. At the same time, adapting to our changing climate involves everyone. If our actions for climate and nature are to have a bigger and lasting impact, we need to be more inclusive of different people and places, and put fairness at the heart of what we do.
If you want to read or listen to a couple of inspiring examples about diversity and climate change, scroll to the next section below. If you are already doing something in the area of inclusion, then jump here if you want to do something bigger.
Inspiration read
Overcoming climate inequality
Diversity leads to greater impact
The more we hear from those with different backgrounds and lived experiences, the wider variety of alternative – and equally valid – viewpoints. Greater diversity increases the chance of making better decisions; approaching the same challenge from different angles can lead to more effective solutions. This diversity in participation also extends to the need for diversity in solutions when facing a complex challenge like climate change, as witnessed in the thousand stories shared on Carbon Copy. The power of this proliferation is two-fold: when new ideas succeed, they are quickly copied and adapted; when they fail, they fail on a manageable scale with a multitude of backups already in place.
Local leads to greater impact
It is quite possible that in addressing the climate crisis we will increase inequity and miss our top-line national targets. In fact, that’s the default outcome, given the inertia and the bias of our current system. Thinking local and being inclusive is essential in closing this gap – our approach should focus on how we include those areas that are further behind or most affected by the ongoing crisis. How we decarbonise, how we shield our communities from the impacts of climate change, how we transition our economy – all of these things matter when national change involves the whole of our society, not just part of it.
Greater fairness leads to greater impact
Both a part of the process and an outcome, fairness is about redressing the exclusiveness and partiality in some of our climate actions. We achieve greater fairness through differential rather than so-called ‘equal’ treatment, with our focus on areas that are furthest behind and communities that are marginalised, and not on a one-size-fits-all approach. Fairness and impact goals are complementary. Although often seen as conflicting or opposing, big gains can be made when these two goals are pursued together as the overall effectiveness improves.
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Inspiration listen
Do Something Bigger
What would inspire you to do something bigger for climate and nature? In this, the first episode of the Carbon Copy Podcast series, Do Something Bigger, we introduce our year-long campaign: 25…
Do something bigger
After farming and agriculture, the environmental sector is the least diverse in the UK. In the same way as the climate will not correct itself, neither will this disparity. If you work for climate and nature in some capacity and would like your organisation to have a bigger impact by being more inclusive, tackling the inequality of climate change, here are three things to consider.
Open to everyone
As Abi Sakande mentions in his climate action diversity post, being ‘open to anyone’ does not automatically mean that you are open to everyone. Unless specific consideration is given when implementing your project or campaign, some groups – ironically, sometimes those most in need or overlooked – simply won’t know about it, or be able to, or even want to participate. Everyone in the climate movement, especially local community groups, could benefit from seeking to understand who is engaging with their work and avoid unintentionally building structural barriers to access for certain groups.
Different narratives and inclusive language
Different groups of people in our society relate and react in different ways to the climate and nature crises, and we need different narratives that connect with each audience if we are to include everyone. As Britain Talks Climate has identified, there is a big opportunity to tell clearer, more compelling climate stories that resonate with people of different values and backgrounds. Our choice of language is important too. The overuse of academic language and acronyms are barriers which can create an exclusionary environment that is not open to all. Instead, be led by people’s authentic voices and lived experiences around climate and the environment that are naturally more approachable.
Partnership outlook
There are so many amazing initiatives underway – big and small; we can point to almost 300 initiatives that drive greater fairness, shared by different organisations on Carbon Copy. If you belong to a big environmental organisation, a partnership approach to scaling your impact – by collaborating with smaller groups instead of taking a leadership approach or model – would feel more equitable and help connect with groups you might otherwise find difficult to reach. Nature Neighbourhoods is a great example of this more inclusive, community-led, partnership approach.
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