EDUCATING THE FIRST MOVE AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING

In 2015, 40% of adults in the World had never heard of global warming and it is now, more than ever, a given that the “language barrier” must be overcome in many countries to spread scientific knowledge. Climate change is a problem that affects every single person on the Planet, but knowledge of the subject is lacking, even severely. In America, for example, only 61 per cent of the population is concerned about climate change, and in other regions of the world it is even worse: in the Middle East, only 26 per cent of the population believes that climate change could endanger their lives.

In recent years, we have witnessed fires, floods and hurricanes that have brought devastation to every corner of the World, but despite these disasters being identified globally, despite the urgent need to de-carbonise, the greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate these calamities continue to increase every year. Why?

It is the lack of information in the languages of origin that can no longer be just a forgotten factor among those explaining why so few people care about climate change; on the contrary, the dissemination of information on the subject is crucial today. As early as 2012, researchers concluded that most scientific articles are published in English, and in 2016, a study by the University of Cambridge found that languages are still a significant barrier to the global transfer of scientific knowledge; even the UN IPCC report (one of the most important and authoritative documents on climate research in the world) is only officially available only in six languages. This lack of dissemination and information is particularly damaging considering that none of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change have an English-speaking majority.

This makes the need for not only rapid but also transparent communication of information on climate change even more pressing. It is obvious that in order to learn about the disasters that are destroying our communities, especially the people who are disproportionately affected, must have access to such information.

People wish and want to contribute, but there must be an effective system to do so, and PLANET HEALTH CHECK aims to provide it. By working together, we can ensure that everyone, no matter which language they speak, can be informed about climate change before it is too late.