Changing Minds, Not the Climate: UNESCO Mobilizes to Address the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is the challenge of the century. Scientific reports, including those of UNESCO, one after another describe increasingly pessimistic scenarios. All experts agree on one thing: we are in a race against time. A race to try to reserve our natural habitat in all of its beauty and diversity, to protect our ecosystems and natural resources and to pass them on to future generations. A race to mitigate the destructive effects of climate change and find the most appropriate innovative solutions.
The disruptions caused by climate change are already part of our daily lives and trigger social, political, geopolitical and humanitarian upheavals. The climate crisis is not only threatening our ecosystems, it is also undermining fundamental rights, widening inequalities and creating new injustices. That is why ethical imperative must guide our action. Beyond the political and legal agreements essential to preparing for the future, change involves a shift in mindset, a different way of considering the place of humans in nature. This challenge mobilizes all resources, including education, research and creativity. It is an ethical and humanistic commitment. This is UNESCO’s mandate, and it is a matter of urgency.