November 23, 2023
Bridging the Gap: Balancing the Urgency to Act with the Need for Dialogue
In this article, we discuss the impact of words on climate action and the challenge of finding the right balance between words, thought, and action.
Last week, in the third edition of our newsletter (Fün: Ideas for Regeneration), I wrote a short piece about language and the context of climate action. I have continued developing these thoughts and want to share them more openly on our blog. I encourage you to subscribe to Fün to receive more content like this.
In seven days, the most important international climate event of the year will begin: the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I find it unlikely that this location will be the place where we decide to abandon fossil fuels definitively in the short term. However, the UN describes COP28 as the most significant accountability moment in history for climate action. It is set to conclude its first Global Stocktake, an assessment of the world’s collective progress in addressing the climate crisis.
In this context, I hear activists, politicians, journalists, and of course, scientists (who have been saying it for years) repeatedly use the phrase “it’s time to act.” And I must say, this phrase concerns me. To clarify, I understand that the data on our progress in mitigating climate change are far from optimistic. They describe insufficient progress, a lack of commitment, courage, and realism. I also share the belief that we already have the solutions needed to reverse the situation. We don’t need a technological revolution or extraordinary discoveries to address the issue. However, what worries me most is that behind this phrase, I see the same linear thinking that dominates our economic systems: Extract → Manufacture → Dispose. In other words, the idea that talking time is over, and now it’s time to act.
There is a saying, at least in Aragón, that if you try speaking to a guiri (foreigner) and they don’t understand you, just speak louder. This is what has been happening since the 1970s. The conversations have been in different languages. And without full agreement, the solution has been to move straight into action. Of course, it’s time to act. At this point, any action is not enough. But we should not imply that acting means stopping thinking or stopping talking. It is time to act. It is also time to think. And it is time to talk even more—and to improve the ways we think and communicate. To act as effectively as possible, we need radically ambitious agreements, commitments to execution, accountability, and transparency in the actions decided upon. All of this must happen through constant dialogue, with efforts in understanding, education, and research. The climate movement has grown significantly in the last decade, and so has public awareness. To maintain this momentum and continue growing, we must carefully consider our words.
The climate crisis is an extremely complex problem. And although there are no doubts about its existence, and we cannot afford to wait until we fully understand it to act, we should not equate the use of words with inaction. If we can find the right words, they will be the ones to unite forces and ensure action happens in time.