Ecosia, the not-for-profit green tech company, is teaming up with youth non-profit Force of Nature to support its Climate Cafés COP27 campaign. The aim is for young people to come together in safe spaces to discuss eco-anxiety and action during the global climate change conference.
Climate Cafés are a rising movement across the world, as a safe space for people to come together to discuss issues around the climate crisis. Founded by Clover Hogan, Force of Nature wants to enable young people to take action in their own ways and hold their own Climate Cafés during COP27 and beyond. With research by the non-profit showing that 70% of young people are eco-anxious and 56% feel that humanity is doomed, Climate Cafés can be a tool to help people navigate this fear.
With COP27 due to start on November 6 in Egypt with the aim of bringing global leaders together to accelerate climate action, there is likely to be a limited amount of civil participation compared to previous years. Yet activism and protests calling for more climate action have been instrumental in powering the global environmental movement and pushing for change. This was particularly important during COP26 last year where civil society, led by young people and indigenous groups, played a vital role in securing a more ambitious deal among world leaders.
However, with concerns regarding Egypt’s crackdown on civil society organizations and human rights, many environmental activists have not felt safe enough to attend this year’s COP27. This has left many feeling disempowered with concern about whether a positive outcome in Sharm El-Sheikh will be reached to avert the worst effects of climate change.
Supporting young activists during COP27
To support Force of Nature’s work, Ecosia is instead dedicating the money it would have spent on travelling and participating in COP27 to the non-profit’s crowdfunding campaign which aims to enable young activists across the world to come together and discuss ways to make a difference. This is all part of Ecosia’s wider mission to power a regenerative future.
Uptake for the Climate Cafés is proving very popular; over 60 young people from 10+ countries have already signed up to the initiative. In the UK, cafés will be taking place in Bristol, Bournemouth, Colchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Oxford, York, Leeds, Winchester and Wolverhampton, as well as London, with Force of Nature’s flagship café HQ’d at the Natural History Museum from November 8-11. More information about how to host or attend a Force of Nature Climate Café can be found here.
Clover Hogan, 23-year-old CEO of Force of Nature, said: “Many young people today feel anxious about the crisis, and despairing in the face of widespread inaction – including politicians pedaling denial and delay. We are being locked out of decisions affecting our future, and we urgently need spaces to come together and galvanise community action. The Force of Nature team is hosting a Climate Café at the Natural History Museum in London during COP27; however, we wanted to ensure that young people around the world had the support to self-organise. That’s why we created a free resource, detailing every step of how to host a café, as well as a fund to provide micro-grants to activists facing accessibility barriers. This work would not be possible without the support of organisations and allies like Ecosia.”
Sophie Dembinski, Head of Policy & UK at Ecosia, said: “It’s unacceptable that so many civil society representatives from around the world feel unable to participate fully in COP27 either because it feels unsafe or the costs involved are prohibitive. With the rights to protest being curtailed around the world and through the oppressive UK Government’s Public Order Bill, it is now more important than ever to support efforts for civil society to mobilise around the climate crisis. We hope that by dedicating our budget to attend COP27 in support of Force of Nature’s Climate Café, we will enable hundreds of young people around the world to come together, feel inspired, share ideas and take climate action in a way that feels safe during COP27.”
To find out more information about holding a climate café, visit: forceofnature.xyz/climate-cafe, or visit the Force of Nature Climate Cafe at the Natural History Museum between 8-11 November.
