Convincing the entire planet or the majority that climate change is imminent is not necessary to make things happen, believes environmental activist Camille Etienne. In the show Tout un monde, she assures that 3.5% of the population would be enough.
To make things happen, Camille Etienne goes through several stages: “In-depth work with NGOs and experts to understand the subject, assert our positions with public policies which are supposed to protect us (…) and, if we don’t get what we want, mobilize civil society through actions on the ground with associations and through actions on social networks.”
“Everything we do is based on science,” says the 25-year-old activist, who is in Switzerland to talk about her book “For an ecological uprising: overcoming our collective helplessness”, released a few months ago published by Seuil.
>> The portrait of Camille Etienne in the 7:30 p.m.:
At 25, Camille Etienne has become one of the most emblematic voices in ecology. Portrait / 7:30 p.m. / 1 min. / yesterday at 7:30 p.m.
A question of social justice
The RTS guest is convinced that to resolve climate change, we must “also attack the source” of social inequalities. According to an Oxfam report, the richest are the most responsible for climate change, but the least affected, unlike the most precarious people. So, there is “no climate justice without social justice, it’s a political subject,” she says.
To tackle the root of the problem, “we must reduce social inequalities. We have no other choice,” insists Camille Etienne.
The young French environmental activist also assures that politics should always base its decisions “on truths and experiences” and should “under no circumstances” get rid of science. “However, this is what we see with climate skepticism which is increasing, including in governing bodies,” she continues.
Rely on a group of active activists
Finally, to act, consensus is not the only solution, notes Camille Etienne. “We don’t need 50% of the population to become activists!”
According to a Harvard study cited by Camille Etienne, 3.5% of the population would be enough to change everything. You need “an active minority” who can convince other people. “It’s achievable,” she assures. Without forgetting to do it “democratically”, of course.
“We can no longer decide behind closed doors without taking into account the subject of the climate and social emergency,” Camille Etienne further declared in the 7:30 p.m. “It’s not at all taken up to the level of the issue, but there has been a real awakening. What were climate marches in the street have transformed into more political actions.”
>> The interview with Camille Etienne Tout un monde: The interview with Camille Etienne: Norway, her method, ecology and democracy / Tout un monde / 13 min. / yesterday at 08:13
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