Making global climate connections through Climate Reality

Development Worker Michelle Selbie travelled to Rome earlier this month to attend Climate Reality training led by former Vice President Al Gore. We asked her to share some of the things she learned and to outline the training she can offer people around Fife.

Making global climate connections

The best thing about travelling to Rome to become a Climate Reality Leader was the amazing people I met. 1000 people from 62 different countries did the training together.

My new friends and colleagues came from all walks of life. From community workers like me to innovators, designers, scientists, policy makers and artists. Some participants were local people who became activists because of the effects of the climate emergency in their home towns.

Joining a global network of over 50,000 Climate Reality leaders means I am always at the heart of what’s going on to tackling the climate emergency. I’m lucky to be able to share what I have learned with people and groups in Fife  first hand, through community engagement in at Greener Kirkcaldy and as part of Climate Action Fife.

I’m proud to have connected Greener Kirkcaldy to people all over the globe who share our values and support their communities to choose their own goals: striving to make people’s lives that bit better, treading more lightly on the planet and tackling food insecurity and fuel poverty.

What I learned

I learned a lot from this amazing experience.

Firstly, climate action is happening all over the world. There are so many incredible people and organisations doing great work to tackle the climate emergency. Some of my favourite speakers and people I met included:

Cedric Ringenbach – founder, Climate Fresk: this is an educational card game that we use here in Fife to tell the story of climate change.

Roberto Gualtieri – Mayor of Rome: planted over one million trees in the Eternal City

Maria Cristina Finucci – founder, The Garbage Patch State: took ownership of plastic in ‘no man’s land’ of international waters.

Stella Levantesi: Author of the book I bugiardi del clima (“The Climate Liars”)

And of course, I encountered former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Al Gore. I was blown away by how much of the training was presented by Al Gore himself. Here he is at the front of the group photo. I’m a bit more difficult to find!

Something that took me by surprise was how far ahead of many areas Greener Kirkcaldy and Fife is. We’re a global leader in community-based climate action. My fellow trainees from across the globe were very impressed with the activities, projects, resources and training we provide. But of course, that’s not a reason to stand still. There’s always more we can do!

World leading resources for Fifers

I learned so much on the Climate Reality training I’d like to share and I’m qualified to deliver two exciting new talks. Here’s how you can get involved.

The Truth in 10 is a ten minute talk on climate. It breaks down the science into manageable chunks with exciting videos and inspiring graphics. It looks at solutions too. This is a high impact course, showing the reality of the climate emergency, designed to inspire action.

We would love to deliver the popular The Truth in Ten to you and your friends and colleagues in your community in Fife. There is now a collective mission, ‘Ten to a Million’ among Climate Reality Leaders like myself to deliver the talk to one million people across the globe. I’d love you to be part of this!

If you want to go into more depth, I can now offer a full 45-minute Climate Reality talk as part of Climate Action Fife. This went down really well at the launch of Kirkcaldy’s Climate Café last month.

Get involved

To take part in these new talks and existing brilliant community courses, you can register your interest on the Climate Action Fife website. As well as Climate Reality, I can deliver the following sessions to groups around Fife. How to Talk About the Climate Emergency, First Climate Conversations, Climate Fresk and an accredited Fife Climate Knowhow course.

Big plans for Fife Climate Festival

During Fife Climate Festival (21 September – 5 October), I’ll be running the ‘Truth in 10’ for ten days in a row with community groups across Fife. Register your interest on the Climate Action Fife website. Let’s make history and have a impact on the climate emergency together. I’ll leave you with this quote from Al Gore.

We can. We must. We will tackle the climate emergency. Act like our future depends on it… because it does!

Al Gore

Michelle Selbie, Development Worker