Europe 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. |
Spanish language interview with Beatriz Elizagaray conducted by Climate Stories Ambassador, Philippine Menager. English transcript provided by Philippine:
INTERVIEWER - Hello everyone, today I am interviewing a close friend to talk about her climate experience. INTERVIEWEE – Hello Philippine, my name is Beatriz. I am from Cuba, and it’s already been 7 years that I live in Spain, in Zaragoza. INTERVIEWER – So can you tell us more about Cuba and how climate change is impacting the country? INTERVIEWEE – Cuba is special because it is an island (with a lot of sea sides as all islands), and with the climate change land is reducing. So, with the natural disasters such as hurricanes the country is affected and people in their houses. The national economy is not the best prepared to tackle these damages and to support people in their livings. Also, there is no urban planning to avoid risky zones and to avoid damages on houses. Nevertheless, on climate care and sustainable actions from the government and the population, there some actions. We have a culture of recycling that is based on recycling everything thanks to the contribution of everyone on their daily life and then they bring it to official recycling units that give them awards like soda or cash. It is small amounts, but for people with less resources it is a way to support them while doing a good social action that helps the whole country. INTERVIEWER – Do you see a difference in the way climate change is impacting the region of Cuba where you come from and your community? INTERVIEWEE – Yes, I am from a small village, from the North coast and yes, I saw a change. 20 years ago, when I was a little girl (as I am 35 years old today) there was a nice beach for us to enjoy. But today it became a no-go zone because of fossil fuel and chemical pollution. INTERVIEWER –On a more personal note, what represents your country for you? INTERVIEWEE – My country is everything for me. It is my life and my heart. I am beingsentimental because even if I was welcomed by Spain, my heart is still there, and I don’tsee how I could lose this identity. I would really like, as we are talking about climatechange, that there were many more climate actions in Cuba from both people and thegovernment to do better and not let everything just worsen. INTERVIEWER – How do you see the future for your community and you? INTERVIEWEE – Truth is that I would like to have something optimistic to say, but no. I think that climate change is worsening not just for Cuba, but for the whole world. Fidel Castro told us about climate change years ago and did a lot on conscientization because the indicators (on animal diversity, plants) were already alarming. So, people know about that, but there is a lot that we can’t do because of little resources, especially economic ones. INTERVIEWER –Thank you for sharing. Anything more you want to add? INTERVIEWEE – First thank you for inviting me for this interview. Secondly, I want to thankpeople who are acting and doing so much for climate, as you are. INTERVIEWER –Thank you, with this being said I hope that we will succeed on giving a better future to you, your community and the whole planet. |
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