A future worth living requires strong climate action and local commitment

The last few years have shown us the stark realities of climate change: The devastating fires in Los Angeles, catastrophic floods in Spain and two disastrous back-to-back hurricanes in Florida are only a few examples of the many extremes in the past year. If the loss of biodiversity and climate change continue, we will see a massive existential change. Nevertheless, the political debate is shifting. While climate protection was still a key issue for almost all parties in the last general election in 2021, it currently plays almost no role at all -although the consequences of climate change are already clearly evident in Germany.

In signing various global agreements, the German government – together with the international community – has made a clear commitment to a future in which healthy ecosystems are recognized as the basis for prosperity. This responsibility for a future worth living should most certainly be at the heart of discussions during the election campaign and in the subsequent coalition negotiations.

Shaping such a future requires fundamental change, for example in energy production or agriculture. This process is a task for society as a whole and one that entails major challenges. Nevertheless, the fundamental issue is not whether we dare to change, but whether we want to shape change ourselves. We can only avoid being forced to change due to the drastic effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution if we see transformation as an opportunity and work together via democratic processes to develop a vision for the future. 

Three aspects are key: 1) climate protection must be implemented globally and locally, 2) climate protection is not (only) a task for the future, and 3) transformation must be carried out fairly.

Climate change is mainly seen as a global process. While an international alliance for climate protection remains essential, local initiatives are also key, as implementation happens on the ground. Municipalities urgently need more space and resources to drive this transformation on the ground together with citizens, for example through participatory formats. How do we want to use our shared spaces in the future? Which mobility blueprints are relevant for our municipality? Which local actors can ensure a sustainable food supply? How can we reconcile access to sustainable with a shared vision of land use? Questions like these are at the heart of the required transformation but can only be addressed democratically at a local level.

Projects such as the initiative “Future is served!”  support municipalities in actively involving citizens in shaping change. With a focus on nutrition, the project, funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, provides space to support existing ideas and good practices. In addition to visibility and networking across regions, it also promotes joint learning. Transformation needs effective solutions. Continuous learning about which approaches are actually successful in practice and can contribute to socio-ecological change across regions is therefore essential in order to be effective.
 

In view of the vast global challenges we face, climate protection is still often seen as a long-term issue for the future. Important change processes are put off until later. However, climate change is already causing immense costs today, which are not fully taken into account when making such decisions. For example, some of the rising food prices in recent years have been due directly to climate change. Leading economists have pointed out that climate change already poses a risk to human welfare today. Climate protection must therefore be a central aspect of future-oriented economic policy that promotes prosperity.

The speed and scope of the necessary change will certainly require a great deal of commitment from political, social and economic players across all levels and many fields of action. A policy geared toward climate protection and sustainability should therefore take into account the connections and synergies with other major social challenges, such as a more effective education system or holistic healthcare. The fair distribution of costs and burdens is also a key aspect of a successful transformation. This applies not only to the next legislative period. Costs must also be distributed fairly and in a socially responsible manner over the long term. This long-term aspect in particular must be considered, as the weakest segments of society will bear the brunt of inadequate climate protection and a delayed transformation.

Immediate and comprehensive engagement – both political and social – is urgently needed to avoid catastrophic consequences. The political discourse must therefore urgently return to climate protection as a core issue. This is the only way to create the global and local conditions for ambitious change processes.