«The fight for the climate is also a battle of social classes.Last Generation?Their protests are necessary" – The interview with Andrea Grieco

The words of the popularizer and activist, guest of the next Open Space meeting:«Today communicating the climate crisis is more complex»

“If we want to realize our ambition, we must ensure that climate policy leaves no one behind.”More than three years have passed since the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen presented the Green Deal for the first time.A maxi-investment plan that aims to revolutionize every sector of the economy:transport, energy production, food supply chain and more.Many of these transformations have already begun:just think of the electrification of transport or the ever-increasing attention to the ecological footprint of what ends up on our tables.Now that the transition seems to have begun, the attention of climate activists has shifted above all to one question:climate justice.In other words:How do we ensure that the costs of the ecological transition do not end up on the shoulders of the poorest groups?«The fight against climate change is also a battle of social classes», underlines Andrea Grieco, guest tomorrow 21 June of the event on climate justice of the series of meetings Open Space:the struggles that build the future (here is the link to participate in tomorrow's event).In addition to his work as a communicator and activist, Grieco is also Head of Impact of AWorld, the platform chosen by the United Nations to support the ActNow campaign against climate change.

What is meant by climate justice today?

«Climate justice means guaranteeing rights both to humans, and therefore to us, and to non-humans, and therefore to the planet.It is a concept that has evolved over time.In recent years, we have been talking about climate justice above all as reparation for the damage suffered due to climate change by the countries of the South of the world, which basically do not impact the global climate crisis with their development but suffer the worst effects."

How is the topic of climate change intertwined with that of inequalities?

"There sine qua non condition to talk about climate justice is precisely social and economic inequality.Even climate change, in the effects it produces, is profoundly unequal.This is why today we are discussing tools for repairing the damage suffered by the most vulnerable countries.The historical emitters of CO2 and all those countries that have exploited natural resources for decades without thinking about the development of other populations or that of future generations must pay."

Inequality is not only between the North and South of the world, but also between the different social classes within a country.Are Italy and Europe doing enough to also take into consideration the social aspect of the ecological transition?

«The large European metropolises are highly unequal from a climatic point of view.Some neighborhoods in Milan, for example, are experiencing strong gentrification which is also climatic:vast areas of land that could become green but instead leave room for concrete and new buildings.Today, unfortunately, neither Italy nor the European institutions take into due consideration the aspect of social inequality also caused by climate change.The fight for the climate is also a battle of social classes."

How is the climate crisis communicated today?

«It has become more complex.Although the effects of this crisis have also reached our home, unfortunately climate deniers have grown.The attack on people who disseminate on these issues is always around the corner.Over time, then, all companies have understood that talking about sustainability and climate change is a... must which can no longer be missing from marketing strategies.In some cases, however, it is simple greenwashing.Reaching people is always difficult, but I try to do it by always starting from the starting point.When I have to communicate a scientific report or an extreme weather event, I try to explain it in the simplest and most accessible way possible, as if I were talking to my grandmother.Ultimately, the most important things to understand are two:where we are and what the solutions are."

Climate protests have also changed shape in recent months:from the Fridays for Future marches we moved on to the symbolic and civil disobedience actions of the Last Generation.What do you think?

«When the Last Generation activists began their protests in museums and with monuments, my first impact was one of great doubt.This is a very different approach to protest and perhaps represents an evolution of activism compared to how we knew it until a few months ago.Then I confronted the activists, I took a reality check and I understood that this is a type of protest that cannot be ignored today.It is a way to draw the attention of the political class and society to issues that need to be normalized today.The focus of the debate must recalibrate to take into account our survival and that of our planet.Raising awareness, even with acts like those of the Last Generation, means calling for action and demanding to be listened to by institutions and civil society."

Filming and editing by Vincenzo Monaco