If
there is one thing I learned during my advanced strategic communication studies
at the New York-based Columbia University, it is that to address a threat, the
first step is to acknowledge it, followed by sound planning to address it using scientific, and more importantly, realistic and practical approaches.
اضافة اعلان
Part
of such a response includes knowing how and when to hand over the torch to a
new generation to continue the fight until the threat is history.
This reflection was triggered by Columbia University's recent announcement of
the graduation of the first batch of its Climate Change School earlier this
month — a group of 92 students from the MA in Climate and Society Program.
Involving
youth in the response to the serious threat of climate change is a feasible
approach that complements other solutions resorted to internationally. To tackle
a danger that has been pushing us all to one corner, indiscriminately posing a
shared challenge, we are left with one choice: either to swim or sink.
We
all — "all" here meaning countries, the rich and the poor, this
generation and generations to come — should realize that the effects of climate
change will be striking blindly, and if not curbed, life on this planet will
never be the same. That is given if life can be sustained at all under the expected
horrible scenarios.
The alarm has already been sounded. According to the UN, "time is slipping
away from us," and the world must act promptly to avoid catastrophes that
are inevitable otherwise. "Recent floods, droughts, wildfires, and heat
waves have made it harder to deny the existence of climate change outright,"
said UN-level climate change experts.
This puts us face to face with "climate disinformation," which is a
challenge that we cannot underestimate. Many skeptics aim to abort or delay
global action, especially the ongoing efforts to decarbonize the global economy,
so we must fight disinformation with substantiated information and
change-oriented education. This means we need to include scientifically proven
facts in curricula at all levels of education and engage the media as
effectively as possible in every country and community joining the fight.
Involving youth in the response to the serious threat of climate change is a feasible approach that complements other solutions resorted to internationally.
Going back to my initial reflection, I found that one solution regarding
education was to establish specialized schools like Columbia's Climate Change
School and open the door wide for scholarships that lure excelling students from
all around the world to join these programs and later, as experts, the fight
against the phenomenon and the proponents' propaganda. At a minimum, a Climate
Change 101 course should be introduced as a mandatory university-level -course everywhere.
On another note, the rich must help the poor. One example is the UAE, which
hosts the International Renewable Energy Agency's headquarters and is evolving
into an influential global leader and partner in fighting climate change.
The UAE has extended over $1 billion of aid to help other countries, especially
those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and lack the means to
execute renewable energy-powered plants. Around 70 countries worldwide have
received a helping hand from the enlightened Arab country. From what I could
infer, the main drive for the UAE is that, in the words of its Climate Change
Special Envoy's Office, the "UAE's domestic and foreign policy recognizes
climate change as a defining threat to humanity and the planet, but also views
climate action as an unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and job
creation".
This is what I call positive thinking, another thing I learned during my days
at Columbia.
The writer is a former advisor at the Royal Hashemite Court, a former
director of media and communication at the Office of His Majesty King Abdullah,
and works currently as a senior advisor for business development at Al-Ghad and
Jordan News.
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