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The Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government,
Mr. John Gormley, T.D., has launched the consumer communication
aspect of the Government’s climate change campaign.
The 'Change' campaign has two key and overriding imperatives
- firstly to change how people in Ireland think about climate
change and, secondly, to encourage everyone to change how
they behave.
The communications campaign includes a comprehensive website,
a lo-call information line - 1890-242 643 - and advertising
- all of which are backed-up by an extensive stakeholder engagement
process that is working with all sectors to change behaviour
and reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions with a view
to halting climate change.
Market research conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes
on behalf of the Change campaign has found that 82% of people
are concerned about the impact of climate change on Ireland.
The Change campaign will encourage everyone to change how
they behave - at home, at work and in the community. This
approach has been endorsed by the public - with 95% saying
it is up to everyone individually to play their part in tackling
global warming.
The first phase of the advertising element of the Change
campaign started with a 60-second television advertisement
to motivate and inspire people to get involved in Ireland’s
plan of action on climate change. The advertisement
opens with footage of Eamon De Valera and Michael Collins
and continues with scenes showing challenges that Ireland
has faced since the foundation of the State. These include
scenes of emigration in the 1950s, UN peace keeping and humanitarian
involvement overseas, the Peace Process and economic development.
The voice-over tells viewers that climate change is 'The
single biggest challenge that we face' and that 'our
response will define us as a generation'. The advertisement
ends with the call to action - 'Change Your World; Change
the World'.
“We reached this approach after a lengthy process of consultation
and research with people from across the country and from
all backgrounds. We found that people often think the size
of the challenge is overwhelming” - said Minister Gormley.
“We need people to understand that we are capable of meeting
the challenge of climate change."
The Minister added - "We have tackled major challenges
in the past - like the Emigration, Unemployment and the Peace
Process. What Ireland does about climate change matters. What
we each do in our own lives at work, at home and in our communities,
influences and motivates others and we will, together, contribute
to the global solution.
“Our research indicates that most people in Ireland are aware
of climate change, accept the science that climate change
is a reality and have a sense of the seriousness of the issue”
- Minister Gormley continued. “People are telling us that
they want guidance on what they can do to prevent climate
change. People need to change how they think, change how they
behave and the Change campaign is going to show people at
an individual level and across all of the sectors, how.”
An extensive stakeholder engagement programme is well underway
and aims to galvanise organisations across large industry,
SMEs, the public sector, education, agriculture, construction
and tourism - with information and knowledge to change their
behaviour in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Seminars will be held throughout the campaign - starting this
month - to inform and to show people how to change their work
practices in order to contribute to a solution to climate
change.
“There is a lot that we can each do in our homes, our community
and our workplace. We need a national collective response
at every level of society to address this challenge, but it
can be done. While the government can - and is - taking the
lead, it is the positive response at an individual, family,
community and sectoral level that will create real change”
- said Minister Gormley.
To find out what you can do to Change Your World, visit -
www.change.ie
- or, lo-call 1890-CHANGE (1890-242 643).
Seminars for the public sector, business, education, tourism,
construction and agriculture are open for booking at - Click
Here - and are taking place as follows -
- Galway - Wednesday 23rd April 2008
- Cork - Wednesday 30th April 2008
- Dublin - Thursday 1st May 2008 - and
- Online on 7th May (accessible from any location
with web access).
Scientists and governments across the world are all agreed
that climate change is happening. Climate change threatens
our environmental, economic and social well-being and it has
been caused by man-made emissions - which, if continue to
grow, will have potentially catastrophic, worldwide effects.
The Change campaign is being led by the Department of the
Environment, Heritage & Local Government on behalf of
the Government.
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