MY PLANET
CO-EDITOR LIBBY DAWSON BY SOPHIA BOLTON SIREN CALLING PROJECT LEAD
Is Locality Key in Tackling Climate Change? It is clearly not surprising to anyone reading this section of Student Life, that there are reams upon reams of ways we can make individual changes and advocate for national changes to reduce both the likelihood and impact of the impending climate crisis. At the end of February, we held Siren Digital, an East Suffolk based environment themed festival run by young people, for young people. This involved live streamed discussion events about the environment; interspersed with dance, photography, short films, and music. Throughout the weekend we had nearly 2500 Facebook Live views and covered multiple topics from fashion to music, and wellbeing to food. Bringing more than 70 young people together in one place to discuss a range of environmental issues, this discussion ranged from broader solutions to the minutely specific and, multiple themes emerged. For me, the most surprising was locality. Climate change is a unique challenge full stop, let alone in the context of localism. Conversations were had about the impact of corona virus and how regional focus is now of greater importance than ever
before, especially with restrictions on travel and those few months we spent in the regional tier system. The music industry, one of the worst hit sectors by the pandemic and arguably receiving the least financial support, was discussed at length. Looking to the future, it is likely we will see a greater number of local music festivals with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of those attending. The outcome of the discussion was hope that larger touring artists will begin to play a higher volume of smaller local gigs, increasing their carbon emissions through greater travel but reducing carbon emissions overall through the reduced travel of attendees. Not ideal but a solution. A second environmental theme where locality was key was the discussion on food. Value was key here: value built through local relationships and its benefit for mental wellbeing; value-for-money in cutting out supermarkets as the middleman; and the financial value of supporting local food businesses. This way we could have much needed stimulus into our regional economy which has greater financial rewards than any form of trickledown economics. In addition, value to our
39 • M Y P LA N E T • S TUDENT LIFE
