Oatly’s Post

Environmental messaging that motivates – rather than alienates – people beyond environmental organisations’ core demographic: Recommended resources. Lack of diversity in environmental organisations & other campaigning groups [see comments for data] means those organisations frequently struggle to recruit, retain & enable people from outside the white, upper-middle-class minority as staff, volunteers, or supporters. So, it’s good to see concise new resources from both NPC (New Philanthropy Capital) and Climate Outreach to help organisations “communicate in a way that empowers everyone to be a part of the conversation”. NPC’s resources include a blog (“Social charities and climate: five ways to speak so you’re heard”) that includes material on proven ways to communicate beyond your bubble: “Speak from a place of hope…Generate a sense of agency… Build understanding through stories… Use everyday language… Assume people are with you already, but help them to understand consequences”. NPC also has material on the environmental crisis and: Young people, Ethnic minority communities, Older people and Disabled people. Climate Outreach's resources include “Getting the climate story right [in the] 2024 General Election” (but it is relevant at any time). It has good data on public attitudes to climate action & guidance on how to talk about climate in a way that empowers and motivates by “Show[ing that] climate action is… Normal, Joined Up, Also about nature, Possible [and] Common sense”. Some of the guidance in “Getting the Climate Story Right” that particularly resonated with me include: ·        Material on empathy (I’ve seen too many campaigning messages that come across as hectoring, with no regard to the struggles of the audience). ·        The reminder that “Most [people] don’t support ‘radical’ approaches - they want to feel that things will be thought through and well managed”: presenting our cause as radical may help us pose as the cool rebel, but it doesn’t *help* our cause. ·        A warning against saying things like “whoever wins the election will continue to disappoint” because “the idea that all leaders are the same feeds fatalism and inaction”. [Are you a campaigner or a complainer?!] Other good examples on reaching beyond the bubble include Round Our Way (which “exists to make sure the voices and concerns of people too often overlooked by the climate debate get heard”) and the Resolution Foundation, which has been demonstrating to decision-makers that climate action is the solution to people’s costs of living concerns rather than a distraction from them. Of course, organisations become much more adept at effectively engaging beyond their bubble if their staff (at all levels) and activists include a more representative range of demographics [which is – shameless plug - where people like me come in 😁], but in the meantime, these materials are highly recommended. #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateAction #Campaigning #Activism

🗳 As the next elections for the European Parliament approach, our elected representatives must prioritise building a waste-free, circular future for all citizens. By signing our pledge, they commit to a sustainable future where waste is minimised, and our environmental impact is significantly reduced. This is a rallying call for collective action towards a greener, cleaner Europe based on sufficiency, resilience, and wellbeing for all. To all Members of European Parliament candidates: join us in leading the change! 🌏✍️ 🔗www.zwe2024pledge.eu #PledgeForAZeroWasteEurope #EP2024 #Sustainability #zerowaste #Environment #CallToAction #EuropeanUnion

🔍 The case for a just transition to a sustainable economy is crystal clear: it's not just about combating climate change, but also about ensuring every individual benefits from this monumental economic and societal shift. WWF emphasizes the critical need for a fair and inclusive transition and garnering social buy-in for this transition to fruition. 🌟 While the EU has taken strides with initiatives like the Just Transition Fund and Social Climate Fund under the European Green Deal, WWF asserts that these measures fall short of ensuring a truly inclusive societal transformation. 💡 To fully embed just transition across EU policy sectors—power, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and forestry— WWF underscores the importance of rigorous social and environmental impact assessments, genuine stakeholder consultation, including with local communities, seizing opportunities to repurpose mining and fossil fuel infrastructure, and respecting culture and identities in discussions surrounding change. Read more at https://lnkd.in/eNHp6fGc #justtransition #sustainablefuture #europeangreendeal  

It's been a huge week of good news, here's what happened: 👷🏽♂️ Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the ‘Future Made in Australia Act’, which aims to supercharge clean energy and industry here in Australia. This will involve government support for local industries to boost investment, create jobs and seize the opportunity of an Australian-made future. As one of the sunniest and windiest countries in the world with vast manufacturing know-how and experience scaling up new industries, Australia has the opportunity to become a clean economy powerhouse. Yes, please! 👵🏽 A group of Swiss women in their 70s, called KlimaSeniorinnen or Senior Women for Climate Protection, won their case in the European Court of Human Rights that sued the Swiss government for its “woefully inadequate” efforts to fight climate change. The Swiss verdict could compel Switzerland's government to take greater action on reducing climate pollution, including revising its 2030 emissions reduction targets to get in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Bloody brilliant! 🍷 A solar farm in Yenda, NSW was switched on to power one of Australia’s largest wineries, Casella Family Brands. Their operations use more electricity than many small towns but will now see 35% of its power coming from the sun! The winery also has plans to improve energy efficiency, get off gas, plant trees and reduce inputs. And we thought wine couldn’t taste any better! 🔋 A record 57,000 battery systems were installed in Australian homes in 2023 - that’s enough to power over 123,000 households! Delivering a fully-renewable grid requires energy storage systems like batteries to keep clean energy available around the clock. We need to keep this momentum going to ensure Australia has a clean economy to set our communities and kids up for success, and continue on the path to cut climate pollution. That gets us charged up!

"In the pursuit of the ambitious goals set by the EU Green Deal, it is our communities that hold the key to transformative change. Local action and community-led initiatives are not just supplementary efforts but are the very foundation of sustainable development. By harnessing the collective power of grassroots movements, we can create resilient ecosystems, drive innovation, and foster a culture of environmental stewardship that echoes throughout Europe. Together, we can turn the vision of a greener, more sustainable future into a reality, one community at a time." Today, we are joining hands with ECOLISE, to showcase the Time for Collective Action Manifesto, giving voice to the vision of community-led initiatives for a #green, #social and #justtransition. You can read and sign the Manifesto here: https://lnkd.in/d-tbB5c3 #TimeForCollectiveAction #VoteFutureEU #UseYourVote #VoteNatureEU #EUGreenDeal #RestoreNature #EuropeanElections #EUelections2024 #CircularEconomy

Today, 3 May, marks EU Overshoot Day – meaning the EU has already used up nature’s budget for the entire year. We would need 3 planets to satisfy our demand if everyone on Earth lived this way. Our societies and economies all depend on what nature provides – food, water, timber, carbon absorption, and land to build infrastructure. Preserving and sustaining nature’s priceless assets is essential to European economic #competitiveness, #security, #health and #stability. But until government policies recognise and reflect the real value of nature, the costs and consequences of our ecological overshoot will only get bigger - from global deforestation, biodiversity loss, fish stock depletion, water scarcity and pollution, soil erosion, air pollution, and more frequent extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires. How much longer do we wait until we all take action to reverse the negative decline and start protecting the #resilience of our economies, food systems and communities from #climatechange and #naturecollapse? The Nature Conservancy is proud to join 317 civil society organisations from across Europe in signing an open letter calling on EU leaders to prioritise focus and financing for climate change, nature and sustainable development, to ensure public policies support a fair and inclusive transition 👉🏽 https://bit.ly/3WjiMpY Concretely, this means: 🌲 Deepening and accelerating the #EUGreenDeal, by fully implementing recently agreed goals and addressing ambition gaps on nature, climate as well as pollution 🌍 Increasing public climate, environment and social investments ⚖️ Leveraging public investments to unlock large-scale private financing for nature and climate that also drive ‘win-wins’ for our economies and communities 💪 Strengthening EU governance, democracy and the effective participation of civil society. With policies that prioritise people and the planet – and strive towards a climate-neutral, nature-positive economy - we have the opportunity to turn the tide and stop Overshoot Day from happening earlier and earlier every year. #OvershootDay

As concerns around climate mount, the growing risks around nature and biodiversity have been surging up the business and finance agenda. The final #FTMoralMoneyForum report of 2023, published in partnership with High Meadows Institute, explores the complexities around this vital debate and collective solutions for a sustainable future. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/epYFnHSG #biodiversity #biodiversityloss #nature #naturalcapital

How can governments drive meaningful climate action? Denmark 🇩🇰 is showing the way by incentivising and investing in permanent carbon removal, setting a new standard for global climate leadership. Last week, the Danish government rolled out its new plan to cut carbon emissions from agriculture, which includes a groundbreaking €1.35 billion investment in biochar production. Biochar offers a promising method for carbon sequestration, locking away carbon for centuries and enhancing soil health. By subsidising biochar up to €300 per tonne, Denmark is not just addressing its carbon emissions but transforming agriculture's role in climate mitigation. This proactive approach demonstrates how governments can act as stewards of the environment, regulating and supporting markets to foster innovation. Denmark's model is a blueprint for others, proving that ambitious climate measures can gain broad support from industry and environmental groups alike. #carbonremoval #sustainability #denmark

🧠 Another article in The Guardian about climate and nature which highlights poor strategic thinking among progressives 🧠 The sub-headline states: “Polling shows voters in south of England switched because of Conservative inaction on polluted rivers and beaches”, which is reasonable enough. The problem is the sub-headline refers to “polluted rivers and beaches” BUT the article then goes on to conflate this with several other phrases, all of which have different meanings (some subtle, some large): 🌳 “the environment”: people bring very different understandings to this, from “polluted rivers and beaches”, to biodiversity, to climate change 🌳 “the natural environment”: similar to the above but possibly leaning away from climate change 🌳 “the climate crisis and the environment”: the only explicit broad-spectrum term 🌳 “green issues”: a vague direction of travel that can mean wildly different things to different people, possibly triggering to some 🔥 THESE ARE NOT PEDANTIC DISTINCTIONS. We know from previous studies that “environmental protection” (such as those “polluted rivers and beaches”) ranks as a higher concern among conservatives than climate 🔥 Anecdotally, speaking recently to sustainability leaders at London Climate Action Week, a theme was emerging that “nature” was an easier sell in business because it was “less political than climate”. This suggests two things: 🍄 If you take those findings about polluted rivers and beaches and think you have support among conservatives for climate, you may be wrong 🍄 If you want to win conservatives over to climate, don’t centralise climate: lean into pollution and nature and slip climate in stealthily as an enabling co-benefit Language matters 💚 🌍 https://lnkd.in/eYSSdxWi

📣🌱 Only through real collaboration can we secure a #NaturePositive economy for all by 2030. Ahead of UN Biodiversity's #COP16Colombia, Business for Nature coalition has published a business statement outlining five high-level policy recommendations for governments to accelerate the implementation of the #BiodiversityPlan to drive corporate #Nature action. The statement, endorsed by 130 businesses and financial institutions with combined revenues of $1.1 trillion, calls on governments to adopt policies to: 🌎 Make sure business and finance protect nature and restore degraded ecosystems 🌎 Ensure sustainable resource use and management to reduce negative environmental impacts 🌎 Value and embed nature in decision-making and disclosure 🌎 Align all financial flows to transition to a nature-positive, net zero and equitable economy 🌎 Adopt or strengthen ambitious global agreements to address key nature loss challenges It’s time for businesses to take more actions and for governments to create an enabling regulatory framework and put nature at the heart of decision making. 🔗 Find out more: https://bit.ly/COP16pr