Our Communications Officer Thibaut took part in the 2019 Ecole d’Hiver, or “winter session”, organised by the Institut du Nouveau Monde in Quebec City from 5 to 17 February.
Against the backdrop of the theme “A Climate for the Future”, over 150 youths participated and suggested their solutions for a future threatened by climate change. With the help of the France-Quebec Office for Youth, Thibaut was given a platform to share our message of green action every day going a very long way.
A Pact for the Future
As part of the opening meeting, Thibaut and the other participants were joined by Quebec author, director and environmental activist Dominic Champagne, who presented the environmental project le Pacte pour la Transition, or “the environmental transition pact”.
Dominic’s message perfectly echoes that of Les Climat’Optimistes, in that everyone can ultimately reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions by changing their own consumption and lifestyle habits. In exchange for these individual efforts, the signatories of the Pact call upon governments to commit to greater efforts in terms of environmental transition. Political action is essential given the urgency of the crisis.
“Young people like yourselves hold the key and can lead the way forward. You are tasked with the mission of engaging with these issues openly with your parents and those around you. You provide the lifeforce that can remind politicians and policymakers of the promises they have made to the next generation.” – Dominic Champagne
The First Climate Strike to Take Place on 15 March
“What’s the point in going to school if we have no future?” In response to this simple question posed by Greta Thunberg, young people around the globe have decided to go on strike on 15 March.
It begs the question, what obstacles is one faced with when they organise a large-scale event like this? How does one go about bringing together the greatest possible crowd? How does one gain enough momentum and garner enough influence to make an impact on political decisions?
These are just a few of the questions we’ve had to think about ourselves.
The considerable experience and sage advice of Equiterre’s Marie-Eve Leclerc have been very useful in guiding us. In 2015, Marie-Eve organised a climate march in Ottawa that brought together no less than 25,000 people! Les Climat’Optimistes share Equiterre’s belief that mobilising everyone is essential if we are to reduce our environmental impact.
Over the course of three intense days, Thibaut outlined our most recent environmental actions, including our clean-up activities and the written message we addressed to François de Rugy, French Minister for Environmental Transition.