6th November 2023
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It’s Earth Day! We see a lot about climate change these days, what’s it all about? The end of the world. Literally. Climate change is bringing the death of the planet and its inhabitants. As they say, there’s no Planet B.
The first Earth Day was in 1970. Striving to, “diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide, all year long”. Since its inception, climate change has been progressing ever more rapidly and now we are careening from a climate crisis to a climate fuelled apocalypse.
The theme for Earth Day this year is ‘Invest In Our Planet’. The aim is to address the business climate, the political climate and how we take action on climate. As a society, we all need to be as invested in the planet as one another, emotionally. Securing a sustainable, green future is the only way we have a future.
The key this year is in literal investment. Studies show direct correlations between sustainable business practices, share prices, and business performance. Companies that develop strong Environment Social Governance (ESG) standards have better profitability, stronger financials, happier employees, and more resilient stock performance. 45% of Gen Z-ers have stopped purchasing certain brands because of ethical or sustainability concerns. There are lots of incentives on which businesses can capitalise to build a green economy. You’ve got to be sustainable to make money, so it pays to care about the climate.
The University of Liverpool’s sustainability strategy has three broad aims. Firstly, to achieve net-zero carbon by 2035. Secondly, to reduce their waste by 50% by 2025. Lastly, for every student to undertake a sustainability-related module, extra-curricular activity, or learning as part of their programme. For example, you may have seen the offer recently to undertake SDG mapping for your course curriculum. The University’s researchers are also informing policy and creating new technologies.
Of course, the Guild themselves are very sustainability-conscious and have their own Green Guild initiatives.
At the Guild, we are committed to sustainability as one of our core values. Our sustainability team provide a number of opportunities for students to consider our impact on the planet from learning to grow food to cultivating green spaces on campus. On Earth Day it’s more important than ever that we work together to make our campus and community a greener place.
Liverpool Guild of Students
Working with the Guild, current Student Officer Jamilia believes we should give back if we take.
Our planet is the most precious thing we could ever share together as human beings. We all are entitled to reap the best parts of it but we all need to take responsibility for it too. That’s why we need to make sure we do what we can to take action to protect our planet for each other and future generations.
Jamilia Kwajah-Ellimah
Our incoming Student Officers Ella and Kathryn are passionate about climate change and noted it during their campiagns.
Sustainable practices are ones that can be maintained continuously over time without harming people or the planet.
What we are heading towards is terrifying. If the government and world leaders globally don’t step up now, we are heading toward climate catastrophe.
The IPCC report says that we need carbon emissions to peak in 2025 at the very LATEST. That is 3 years away.
Climate change is already affecting so many. Through wildfires, droughts, and floods. People are dying.
We need everyone in the climate movement. Whatever you can do can help. We need a mass movement of people to campaign and disrupt the system. We need to keep up hope for an alternative future and use that hope to drive our action – to fight for climate justice.
Ella Hatch
We are in a climate crisis and strong action must be taken to protect the earth and communities here. Governments must take strong action and corporations must be held responsible for their damaging actions.
Kathryn Manley
Vegan Society and Labour Students both have strong views on climate change. We reached out to the Conservative and Liberal Democrat student groups but had no response.
Animal agriculture causes unimaginable suffering to the victims involved in its practice: the animals. It is one of the leading drivers of the climate crisis causing huge amounts of harm to the planet through water loss, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. We advocate for a 100% plant-based food system and call for an end to such unnecessary harm to these sentient individuals.
Vegan Society
Earth day is important because we need corporations to stop burning fossil fuels, start paying their taxes and stop exploiting their workers and the earth. We are in the midst of a climate change crisis and the working class are the ones already feeling the effects. Earth day places responsibility on the Individual to solve climate change when we should be looking to the powerful for accountability
Labour Students
Cover photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels.
