Experts urge people to act towards climate change

The secretary for Environment and Sustainability of Generalitat de Catalunya, Marta Subirà, opened the activity together with Joan Elias, rector of the University of Barcelona; Miguel A. Torres, president of Famlia Torres, and Tomàs Molina, scientific director of these sessions. Subirà highlighted that, regarding climate change, public powers and administrations have responsibilities. In this sense, Subirà noted that “Generalitat de Catalunya approves the law of climate change in Spain and southern Europe taking the example of those countries that are more advanced in this matter, which was refuted by the State government before the Constitutional Court. Luckily this suspension has ended and it is now applicable”.

Miguel A. Torres put emphasis on the climate change not being a theoretical and faraway problem but one “that we see and face here, in the vineyard”, and criticized that “Spain is probably the only country in the UE that allowed increasing emissions by 7,5 % in 2017” and that does not opt for renewable energies. The president of Familia Torres reported the bureaucratic difficulties to implement renewable energies: “The fact that we have been waiting for two years to connect a 400 kw self-consuming photovoltaic system, during which we could have stopped the emission of thousands of tons of CO2, is unacceptable”. A situation which, according to Torres, “could be solved over the coming months thanks to the intervention of Generalitat de Catalunya in a meeting with Endesa”.

Joanna Drake, deputy director-general in charge of the Coordination of Resource-efficiency policies and instruments in DG Environment, stated that “our way of living has to change, we have to encourage companies to produce in a more sustainable way and to take policy actions, especially at a local and regional level”. In this sense, Drake noted the need to promote, with funds and infrastructures, citizen science to make these changes effective.

Then, Joan Subirats, doctor on Economic Sciences, professor of political science and researcher from the Institute of Governance and Public Policies of UAB, noted that “society will get involved in the change if being part of the definition of the problem: we have to discuss about the diagnosis of the problem with the right people and find a solution together. If we want to be efficient at a mid or long term, the logics of speed will not provide the best results”.

Inaction of society and political classes

Enric Pol, professor of Social Psychology and Environmental Psychology at the UB, noted how one of the potential causes for the lack of action from politicians and society, “the change of emphasis and instability of scientific messages. The fact that people stopped talking about, for instance, the ozone layer, can make it look like a lie and people cannot trust messages on the threats we currently talk about”.

Ana Labelle, Training & Account Manager in Neurologyca, put emphasis on the perception and decision-taking regarding a stimulus or message. “Studies show we do not use reason to take decisions”, commented Labelle. This would explain why rational knowledge of climate change is not enough to change our behaviour. “We have to activate the risk aversion, appeal emotions and feel a short-term reward to change our habits”, stated the expert on neuromarketing.

Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, lecturer of environmental sciences at KU Leuven and vice-president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), listed 10 key points to fight climate change, highlighting that “not having a B planet, humanity and ecosystem humanity should be a priority in politics”. However, according to Aida Vila, legal and political adviser in GreenPeace International, noted that “the problem is, among others, the political class taking decisions thinking about the benefits during the electoral period, not on the long-run”.

Ferran Puig, engineer on telecommunications, science journalist and author of the blog Usted no se lo Cree insisted on “the climate change not being the only crisis of this time, despite many of them being related, such as the energy crisis or the crisis of biodiversity”. Last, Joaquim Elcacho, journalist on environment, nature and science, and coordinator of La Vanguardia Natural noted the “lack of headlines or current affairs” as well as some difficulties the media are facing when trying to focus on climate change.

Conclusions of the 7th Environmental Sessions were given by Ferran Tarradellas, head of the representation of the European Commission in Barcelona and head of European energy policy within the Spanish State. Tarradellas reminded attendants about the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper, in the sense that itʼs better to be safe than sorry. Although there were some pessimistic attitudes, experts coincided on the importance of acting despite some consequences of climate change being irreversible. Vila, for example, said that “it would be worse to stop and think thereʼs nothing left to do”. “We have to spend the energy we have left, the mental one too, finding solutions. Now may be too late to stop all consequences, but we can reduce, even if itʼs partially, the most severe ones”, concluded Ypersele.

5th Torres & Earth Award to Environmental Innovation

Within the frame of the Environmental Sessions, the 5th Torres & Earth Award to Environmental Innovation was given to the study Cambio Climático y Salud, by Alba García Rey and Mar-Libertad Gracia Febrer, students of Biomedical Engineering at the UB. This contest aims to show and award the projects, experiences and initiatives of students and scientific teams that work on the preservation of the environment. In this yearʼs edition, eighteen projects were submitted, exhibited and voted for by the attendants of the session and the advisory committee.

Further information