"We are tired of talking” – A Breakthrough for Climate Change

For the third year, a delegation of 6 Melton Fellows took part in Climate Reality’s Leadership Training in support of one of the biggest challenges the world is facing today: Climate Change. The Melton Foundation is teaming up with The Climate Reality Project to help empower future Climate Leaders as they build awareness for the climate crisis and develop shared, sustained solutions. 

“We all live on one earth and climate change effects the entire earth. It is not the responsibility of one geographic location or country to find solutions for this problem, but the responsibility of the entire global community.”

Elbia Melo, Executive Director of the Brazilian Association of Wind Energy and Presenter at the 26th Climate Reality Leadership Training 4-6 Nov 2014, Rio de Janeiro

The Climate Reality Project is one of the key players in building awareness for the effects of climate change and to push for new solutions to - as founder and chairman Al Gore reminded the audience - make sure the world our future generations inherit, is the best we can possibly provide.

This event, the 26th Leadership Training, took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and convenes 750 participants from 34 countries. Over three days, participants were exposed to the latest facts on climate science, good practices from different sectors, high-end solutions and simple actions of how to put an end to the causes for global warming and climate change.

Karla Araya, Melton Fellow, Climate Leader, and Mentor at this Training, described the training: “This is the second training I have participated in. The first time, last March in Johannesburg, made me re-consider many of my own habits and raise more awareness for Climate Change around me. This time was different though, and I feel we really managed to move forward - from discourse to taking action. One of the key messages came for me came from Mayalu Kokometi, Indigenous leader of the Mebêngôkrê Nyre Movement, who – during her presentation about Indigenous Perspectives on Climate Change – closed with a powerful statement: “I am asking you: are you here to talk or to act? We (her people) are tired of talking!”

For Melton Fellow Nickhil Sharma, another key message also came from Mayalu Kokometi, who believes that the more comfortable technologically dependent lives are just a mirage and that we are ruining the wonderful assets given by the earth in order to compete with each other and fight with each other over power.

“One of the newer concepts I was introduced to, was that effects of climate change not only heavily impact unstable countries, but also the political scene in a place as stable as Europe. The quote that best describes this situation is `Be kind to your peddler´, describing how we are willing to ignore basic human rights in the interest of fossil fuels. I am glad that my horizons have expanded in this way, it shows me how fragile the world is. “ said Parithosh Jayanthi, who is attending this training to become a Climate Leader.