Cardiff locals are banding together to combat apathetic attitudes towards climate change and encourage conversation
Cardiff street recycling bin
Events are popping up in the next few months in Cardiff encouraging people to take an active part in the climate change conversation.
Sustaining all life, a global organisation that works at a grass-roots level to address climate issues, is hosting a climate change gathering on the 1st November at The Corner in Roath at 7 pm.
The climate change ‘gather-in’ is an event aimed at creating a space for the community to come together to address feelings of isolation and discouragement.
Camille Elizabeth, an organiser of the event and a research officer for the Arts Council, says: “The system we are in keeps us divided and encourages the mentality that we have to struggle on our own.
“We don’t have the spaces available to process our thoughts.”
The evening will involve short individual talks followed by group discussions, sharing personal experiences and opinions.
“I feel reassured by the number of people who want an event like this; they want something to help with that tension between wanting to do something and not knowing what can be done,” says Camille.
Camille Elizabeth at a listening event in Abergavenny. Promoting the idea of a space for people to share and listen.
Cardiff University conducted a collaborative study earlier this month, revealing that people are generally very positive about strategies aimed at combating climate change.
The study consisted of two-day workshops with members of the public from Cardiff and Bristol.
Catherine Cherry, a research associate at Cardiff University, says: “I’ve done a lot of research with people from Cardiff and South Wales, and overall people are concerned about climate issues and want to see change.”
Catherine acknowledges that changes are not that easy for everyone to make.
She says: “Some people have other needs and commitments – for work and family life.
“The key thing is to advocate for more radical changes to economic and infrastructure systems that make it possible for people to meet these needs in different ways.”