The Ripple Effect
A recent episode of the podcast How to Save a Planet explored whether individual actions matter at all or whether big, systemic changes and policies are the only thing keeping Earth from burning up. While we recommend listening to the entire episode, there are a few points worth highlighting, especially if you’re still trying to wrap your head around the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
The climate crisis really hinges on a few key sectors, including energy, food and agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing and industry. One eliminated plastic bag or one less car ride might not make a dent but cumulatively, the ripple effect of these actions have the capacity to build a wave.
The Ripple Effect
In 2018, Greta Thunberg started sitting outside the Swedish Parliament during her school days, trying to get government officials to recognize and take meaningful action on the climate crisis. One by one, other students started to join her and before too long, she was a leading voice in the climate movement.
Greta Thunberg addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference and spoke at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. Many have heard about her and her commitment to push for real, systemic change. While Thunberg has her fair share of critics, dozens of world leaders have praised her efforts and support her work. What matters most is the fact that she is an individual who inspired a few other individuals who each inspired other individuals in turn. Thunberg represents a single drop in an ocean, who created ripples which have gone on to create waves.
It’s not individual actions that matter, necessarily, but collective action does. When enough people are able to encourage others to change their behaviour in some way and take action, then a groundswell of individuals can make a real and measurable difference.
Take Action
The ripple effect is real and it matters. What is most important to realize about the ripple effect is that action is required. The IPCC report is not only a reminder of the dire situation we find ourselves in but also an invitation to remember that small actions taken by individuals and within companies matter — but only if real action exists and is visible and shared with others.
Key Actions Tourism Stakeholders Can Take To Create A Ripple:
Model responsible travel behaviour: People look toward you for insight on how to act and behave when they travel. Model the behaviour you want others to adopt.
Share your climate action with others: Let others know what you’re doing to mitigate your carbon footprint.
Normalize talking about the climate crisis: We should not normalize the climate crisis but we must normalize talking about it. On tours, in destinations, and during travel experiences, we can not just brush off extreme weather as an “unseasonably hot summer”.
Move beyond your climate pledge: If you’ve declared a climate emergency, it’s time to put real science-backed measurements in place and take action to cut carbon emissions from your operations and supply chains.
Embrace radical transparency: Get real about any greenwashing you’ve been holding on to, do the hard work, and be radically transparent about your climate action with the general public. What are you committed to doing? By when and by how much? Put your goals out into the world and publicly track your commitments.
