Green action spaces setting the right scene for the green renewal

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Benjamin Franklin

Regeneration has now established itself in our sustainability language but this is where a climate/environmental thinking paradigm at governmental levels in Europe is today. Lots of tactics without a strategy.

What's at stake here is an intricate social balance predicated on our ability to weather our biggest environmental storms. And which we can only solve if we address the roots of problems that force people onto streets in defiance of double standards: low or no tax for the rich and 'bad' austerity measures for the rest. If governments pitch climate against the lifestyle improvements, this will only create more social upheaval. As we can see, not only in France, but this tactic is set to fail in other states that follow suit.

Winning hearts and minds of the world's populations – the French lesson

A trigger for the first mass Yellow Vest protest was a rise in fuel tax costs projected for 2019. Macron's government claimed it to be necessary to meet climate change targets as per the Paris Agreement. A large segment of the public, however, saw this as a yet another attempt to cut taxes for the wealthy and big business, and revolted.

However, what is less known today is that a single petition that Priscillia Ludosky posted on the change.org website set of a chain of events we know as Yellow Vest protests. The former BNP Paribas banking group employee, turned an environmentalist and creator of an organic cosmetics and aromatherapy company, had verbalised what the majority of the French people felt. She had asked for fundamental social and economic reforms in addition to objecting to the fuel tax rise. Consequently, over 1,19 million people supported these demands by signing her petition.

What's overlooked in the story is the fact that the Macron's government missed a great opportunity to demonstrate to the French and their neighbours how such a strategic realignment with the global emissions cuts' targets could look like. Instead of building a constructive GREEN NEW DEAL dialogue and a narrative with a large, already receptive, segment of the public, the unions, and political parties, they did what most governments do in this situation. They broke a tenuous rapport completely. They slapped the French with a tax rise and blamed it on the climate! This political blunder is certainly a lesson not to repeat!

Leveraging the regeneration of communities

To this end, people need to be able to first grasp, both intellectually and psychologically before they can take on board any climate inspired solution that significantly impacts their lives. Without such proof points, they will not rally behind it. And, as such the design of a strategy that involves raising climate/green funds, asks of governments to put money where the mouth is and to start investing heavily in green product and service markets. This also means that green jobs' creation needs to feature prominently on agenda, at all governmental levels; local, regional, and national.

Armed with such evidence the public can then truly support the climate related work of their governmental and non-governmental organisations. In doing so, the morale of everyone gets a turbo boost thus inspiring more confidence and leveraging the entire process. This is what we don't have yet and is what we need to create in order to respond effectively to the crises.

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This article is the work of the Earthvoice editor, Kinga Monica. She is available for consulting on practical instigation of the concept, sustainability and ecotourism consulting, internationally.

To read all my articles on this topic and the solutions that have helped shift some gears of the climate change action and greening templates for cities to date, follow me on Medium. And dear reader, please help me expand by sharing and talking about this widely.