France Climate Stories
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Philippine provided the following English translation of her climate story:
Hello, my name is Philippine. I am a 24-year-old French woman coming from the countryside, and today I want to share my climate story with you. More precisely, my story about discovering the reality of climate change.
Let me start with a bit of context. I come from a very rural region. It is all green valleys, volcanoes and there are more cattle and animals than people. So, I have always been close to nature. When I was a child, our winters used to be really cold, having -10ºC was normal, and our summers were sunny and shiny but no more than 31ºC as its hottest.
Everything changed for me in 2004. During this summer the country suffered a big heatwave. Many people died back then, and it was considered as a national catastrophe, but as I was still young, I remember not understanding the why and the how of this heatwave. I couldn’t grasp the gravity of it. For me it was the opportunity to sleep under the stars as our home wasn’t prepared for it.
While growing up, heatwaves kept coming and one day, as I was watching TV news with my family, I discovered about climate change. They were talking about the melting Arctic. Showing polar bears and explaining the consequences for the whole ecosystem. At that time, not only did the polar bear become my symbol of climate change for years, but I also was profoundly shocked. It was too much to bear for a little girl like me. My family comforted me saying that we still have time, we will have a lot of time and that our region will not be impacted.
Knowing what we know now, it seems silly but at that time it really worked on me, as it still works for some people today. But the climate kept changing and more voices raised concerns. So, I decided that I should not be blind anymore, and I started reading, learning, and acting on climate change. Fast-forward to the future, I am now in charge of climate projects in an NGO. I am confronting myself with reality every day and it is hard. Sometimes I am scared, angry, anxious, or pessimistic, but I know that I will never look down and do nothing again.
Hello, my name is Philippine. I am a 24-year-old French woman coming from the countryside, and today I want to share my climate story with you. More precisely, my story about discovering the reality of climate change.
Let me start with a bit of context. I come from a very rural region. It is all green valleys, volcanoes and there are more cattle and animals than people. So, I have always been close to nature. When I was a child, our winters used to be really cold, having -10ºC was normal, and our summers were sunny and shiny but no more than 31ºC as its hottest.
Everything changed for me in 2004. During this summer the country suffered a big heatwave. Many people died back then, and it was considered as a national catastrophe, but as I was still young, I remember not understanding the why and the how of this heatwave. I couldn’t grasp the gravity of it. For me it was the opportunity to sleep under the stars as our home wasn’t prepared for it.
While growing up, heatwaves kept coming and one day, as I was watching TV news with my family, I discovered about climate change. They were talking about the melting Arctic. Showing polar bears and explaining the consequences for the whole ecosystem. At that time, not only did the polar bear become my symbol of climate change for years, but I also was profoundly shocked. It was too much to bear for a little girl like me. My family comforted me saying that we still have time, we will have a lot of time and that our region will not be impacted.
Knowing what we know now, it seems silly but at that time it really worked on me, as it still works for some people today. But the climate kept changing and more voices raised concerns. So, I decided that I should not be blind anymore, and I started reading, learning, and acting on climate change. Fast-forward to the future, I am now in charge of climate projects in an NGO. I am confronting myself with reality every day and it is hard. Sometimes I am scared, angry, anxious, or pessimistic, but I know that I will never look down and do nothing again.
English translation, provided by Ingrid Bratzler.
Hello, my name is Eva Laprebendere. I am 23 years old, and I come from the “Bassin d’Arcachon”, precisely from the city called Lanton.
First, concerning Lanton, I can say that I lived there from the age of 5 till that of 18. I still go there very often, several times a year, during my vacation. What I like is the ocean. It is a seaside town, we are located on the “Bassin d’Arcachon”. We are quite surrounded by nature, and I really like the beach, where I have spent many summers with my friends. The surroundings are quite nice, there are nice landscapes to see and natural places to visit, such as the “Dune du Pilat”, which is not far away. The big
city, Bordeaux, is not far away either.
Concerning Grenoble, my feelings are different. What is striking when you live in Grenoble is the fact that you always see the mountains, wherever you are you are reminded that nature is here, surrounding you. You can always see the elements, and we can’t say that from any town, you know. In other cities, you are not as aware of nature surrounding you. In Grenoble, the mountain ranges are here, imposing and beautiful, and it makes you feel smaller as a human. The mountains are beautiful, I
love them. And I also enjoy hiking on the ranges.
The “Bassin d’Arcachon” is threatened, that is for sure, by the ocean rise as any coastline is. Some coastal areas will be underwater. Speaking of which, I had seen a map representing the ocean level by 2050 on the “Bassin d’Arcachon”. My house
was fortunately not underwater (laughs). I do not think it is threatened by invasive algae, as some coastlines are [Translator’s note: Such as Brittany in France].
Concerning Grenoble, the glaciers are indeed threatened. We know that glaciers will melt due to climate change, and global warming. Global warming will be very different according to where you are on the globe, but the warming will affect the mountains. In the end, there will not be any glaciers left, which will impact – I think – the water cycle, among other things.
Hmm, how do I feel regarding climate change? Well, I am aware of what we are heading to, of the reality of the situation. In spite of it all, I want to enjoy life and keep a positive attitude. I would not say that I suffer from ecoanxiety, I know a lot of people do nowadays. And that is quite normal, regarding what is going on. Well, what is bothering me is that we knew and did not do what we should have done, that we know and do not act as should be. There is a discrepancy between the world we live in, and the way we live, and the kind of world we should live in, and the way we should live, which would demand our giving up many things, but I would not call that sacrifices. We should give up many things, on a global scale, even though some countries should give up more than others, some people should give up more than others, of course. And it seems almost impossible to achieve. Despite this, I do not feel sad regarding climate change, I do feel helpless sometimes. Of course, one can do much on an individual scale, but that is not enough. It seems like paddling in the mud, instead of paddling in a clear river. Individually, we don't have the means to scale up. The individual scale is not enough; we need to act on a collective scale, a global scale. We reached almost nine billion humans, right? Or eight? I am not sure…
Why do I keep positive? Well, because if you are not positive, well then, you might as well end it all up here. [Laughing] I am positive, because – as I have said – we ARE now aware of the situation, most of us, many of us... Well, we might, in a hundred
years, say we knew and did not do what we should have…as we have entered this new geological area, dominated by mankind activities and impacts… Nevertheless, I keep being positive, because each life matters, be it human or other living creature. Life is beautiful, even though it may depend on where you come from, where you were born or live on earth…But there are so many beautiful things to discover, still. Sometimes I am really awe stricken when I look at some landscapes, at nature. I stay
positive, because – despite all – every step we take to move forward, to initiate a change is important. We should be proud of every baby step towards the right trajectory, without waiting for others’ approval. We stand alone, you know, and should be proud of ourselves, anyway. In spite of what may come, I try my best. And I will be proud of my vision and every little step.
In spite of what is happening in our world, and which is not positive, we are many to fight for the planet, for every living creature, and doing so for humanity of course.
Hello, my name is Eva Laprebendere. I am 23 years old, and I come from the “Bassin d’Arcachon”, precisely from the city called Lanton.
First, concerning Lanton, I can say that I lived there from the age of 5 till that of 18. I still go there very often, several times a year, during my vacation. What I like is the ocean. It is a seaside town, we are located on the “Bassin d’Arcachon”. We are quite surrounded by nature, and I really like the beach, where I have spent many summers with my friends. The surroundings are quite nice, there are nice landscapes to see and natural places to visit, such as the “Dune du Pilat”, which is not far away. The big
city, Bordeaux, is not far away either.
Concerning Grenoble, my feelings are different. What is striking when you live in Grenoble is the fact that you always see the mountains, wherever you are you are reminded that nature is here, surrounding you. You can always see the elements, and we can’t say that from any town, you know. In other cities, you are not as aware of nature surrounding you. In Grenoble, the mountain ranges are here, imposing and beautiful, and it makes you feel smaller as a human. The mountains are beautiful, I
love them. And I also enjoy hiking on the ranges.
The “Bassin d’Arcachon” is threatened, that is for sure, by the ocean rise as any coastline is. Some coastal areas will be underwater. Speaking of which, I had seen a map representing the ocean level by 2050 on the “Bassin d’Arcachon”. My house
was fortunately not underwater (laughs). I do not think it is threatened by invasive algae, as some coastlines are [Translator’s note: Such as Brittany in France].
Concerning Grenoble, the glaciers are indeed threatened. We know that glaciers will melt due to climate change, and global warming. Global warming will be very different according to where you are on the globe, but the warming will affect the mountains. In the end, there will not be any glaciers left, which will impact – I think – the water cycle, among other things.
Hmm, how do I feel regarding climate change? Well, I am aware of what we are heading to, of the reality of the situation. In spite of it all, I want to enjoy life and keep a positive attitude. I would not say that I suffer from ecoanxiety, I know a lot of people do nowadays. And that is quite normal, regarding what is going on. Well, what is bothering me is that we knew and did not do what we should have done, that we know and do not act as should be. There is a discrepancy between the world we live in, and the way we live, and the kind of world we should live in, and the way we should live, which would demand our giving up many things, but I would not call that sacrifices. We should give up many things, on a global scale, even though some countries should give up more than others, some people should give up more than others, of course. And it seems almost impossible to achieve. Despite this, I do not feel sad regarding climate change, I do feel helpless sometimes. Of course, one can do much on an individual scale, but that is not enough. It seems like paddling in the mud, instead of paddling in a clear river. Individually, we don't have the means to scale up. The individual scale is not enough; we need to act on a collective scale, a global scale. We reached almost nine billion humans, right? Or eight? I am not sure…
Why do I keep positive? Well, because if you are not positive, well then, you might as well end it all up here. [Laughing] I am positive, because – as I have said – we ARE now aware of the situation, most of us, many of us... Well, we might, in a hundred
years, say we knew and did not do what we should have…as we have entered this new geological area, dominated by mankind activities and impacts… Nevertheless, I keep being positive, because each life matters, be it human or other living creature. Life is beautiful, even though it may depend on where you come from, where you were born or live on earth…But there are so many beautiful things to discover, still. Sometimes I am really awe stricken when I look at some landscapes, at nature. I stay
positive, because – despite all – every step we take to move forward, to initiate a change is important. We should be proud of every baby step towards the right trajectory, without waiting for others’ approval. We stand alone, you know, and should be proud of ourselves, anyway. In spite of what may come, I try my best. And I will be proud of my vision and every little step.
In spite of what is happening in our world, and which is not positive, we are many to fight for the planet, for every living creature, and doing so for humanity of course.