But is it good to protest about things you really care about?
Next week there will be a four-day mass rally outside the Houses of Parliament, calling for
no more fossil fuels. A whole host of Harrogate residents will be joining the demonstration
dubbed “The Big One”.
We know that to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown, we need to rapidly stop
using gas, coal and oil to power our economy and complete our transition to clean
renewable energy sources such as electricity generated by wind, solar, hydro and tidal.
Demonstrators feel this is not happening fast enough and that protesting is one way they
can make their voice heard. Concern about climate change regularly tops the polls across all age groups, but particularly amongst young people who have more of their future at stake.With many people feeling that government energy policies are unclear and inconsistent, it is perhaps not surprising that Yorkshire folk will be at Westminster wanting their voice to be heard.
Big demos certainly draw media attention and raise the profile of an issue. Even small
protests such as the school strikes for climate that pupils staged in Harrogate town centre
can hit the headlines, with our local children featuring on the BBC lunchtime news in 2019.
It’s this media coverage which gets people thinking about these important issues and
encourages us to start conversations about climate change. And by talking with our friends,
family, neighbours and colleagues we can all start to make a big difference.
By sharing our concerns about the price of food or the current shortage of vegetables, we
learn more about how the seasons are changing and how farmers are struggling with the
weirding of the weather.
By commiserating with others about our increased energy bills we start to think more about
the energy efficiency of our homes and understand our reliance on imported gas. We start
to question why we’re not investing more in cheap, locally generated renewables.
By sharing the changes we’re making to live a more sustainable way of life, it encourages
others to make changes too. Conversations, whether they’re over a video call or over the
garden fence, give us a chance to share our ideas, show support and vent our frustrations.
So if you want to do more to tackle the climate crisis, remember it’s good to talk! Share your
stories of how you cut your energy use, your best new veggie recipe or your latest car-free
journey.
At Zero Carbon Harrogate we know conversations are important. Over the past 7 years we
have had hundreds of them with local politicians, business people, organisation leaders and local residents. We have been making our voices heard and we can see the difference it has made.
Why not join us to make your voice heard? You can find Zero Carbon Harrogate on
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – we'd love to hear from you!
Photo: Harrogate School Strike for the Climate 2019