In this episode of Ecolution, RTÉ's climate podcast for young people, we ask a simple question with a very complex answer. When it comes to climate change - when will we change?! What is stopping us from making the changes we need to make to really tackle this global crisis?
We are talking about changes that will help our world be a more sustainable place with a livable ecosystem, long into the future. We ask these questions at a time when we see the impact of the climate crisis on our screens almost every week - from extreme weather to forest fires and much more.
Ecolution is looking for the answer - listen now on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify.
Just last week, a collapsing glacier destroyed 90% of the village of Blatten in Switzerland. But despite all of this, it does feel like the subject has fallen off the radar for a lot of people. But why? Is it a feeling of being overwhelmed that stops people changing their behaviours? A sense of your action never being enough?
We met with someone who’s job it is to look into how people behave, how they respond to things like the Climate Crisis, and why they do the things that they do.
Pete Lunn is the founder and head of the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit (BRU). A behavioural economist, he holds degrees in Philosophy & Psychology, Neuroscience and Economics. Pete’s primary research interest is how people make judgements and decisions that affect environmental, financial and health outcomes, especially when facing complex systems and trade-offs.
As he says in the show "It is comfortably the most complicated policy problem I’ve ever worked on. So a lot of the issue is going to be communicating what really does make a difference, what doesn’t make a difference, and how can we all help ourselves to change our behaviour to how we can really make a difference to climate emissions."
That ambition, of getting everyone on board to work together is a challenge. Especially in a world that feels to be more and more about the self and not the whole of humanity. But Pete and his team have found ways to get through by gamifying climate information and emphasizing the need for collective action from both individuals and government.
We also speak with students at the BTYSTE about egocentrism, peer pressure and climate anxiety. Plus, our brain trust talks about why it’s so hard to give things up!
A Greenpeace study from 2022 asked teens in France what they'd be willing to give up or reduce to combat climate change. And 74% of those that have taken a plane said that they would happily fly a lot less. Which might be a stretch living on an island. But what changes do you think you would find most difficult?
And our YouTube discussion panel also had some stats to hand. Did you know that 89% of people around the world believe climate change is real - and that humans are causing it? But here's the catch, not many are actually changing the way they live to help stop it. Check out the YouTube Playlist here for more!
If you want to connect with Ecolution just send an email to junior@rte.ie.
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