of climate misunderstanding. We know this to be true, and it’s extremely discouraging. We need communications campaigns that directly show this thinking is wrong, out-of-date, irresponsible and dangerous. Each of us have to be active personally to reduce our own climate emissions, and also active in cul- tivating the conversations with those we work with, study with, those we love, to understand and de- mand the right systemic changes from government Climate change, pandemic, war, refugees- not only are crises intensifying, they are all interrela- Severn continues to combat climate change today alongside other activists like Greta Thunberg. o t o h P k r a p S l l i t S / k c o t s r e t t u h S © ted. How are you dealing with these challenges? „ It scares me to realize that we are now in an era of compounding crises.“ localized realities. This must take place on all sca- les, as did our approach to COVID-19 – both from operational and communications perspectives. People are motivated by what they see their neig- hbors doing. We are all actors in this fight. Each of our actions matter, for better and for worse. The theme of the AUSTRIAN WORLD SUMMIT this year is “Creating Hope – Inspiring Action”. How do you keep going and stay optimistic? Many years ago, Joan Baez said, “action is the anti- dote to despair.” This remains true. IPCC science says we still have a chance to affect the future. The solutions are all before us: never before has a fos- sil-fuel-free global economy been more possible. Therefore, this is not the time to despair. We need to get to work and implement hyperlocal solutions in our communities. We need to implement perso- nal change, while calling for systems-level change. This is the time to prove who we are as human beings. Will we succeed? Will we prove worthy of the love of our children? No one can say for certain, but we all can commit to doing all we can to make our actions reflect our words and values. I am afraid of what is to come, as ecosystems con- tinue to break down, climate change continues to increase, droughts make food prices soar, water becomes scarcer, etc. This fear for what is to come drives my commitment and action today. Today, the connections between the war and oil is clear. Oil has always brought violence. But I think today, when climate change is now a constant companion, the insanity of us choosing this violen- ce has never been more obvious. Renewables are now cheaper than oil! As UN secretary general An- tonio Guterres said, investing in fossil fuels today is “moral and economic madness.” How can we change this system? We need to localize energy production so that energy is not monopolized. We need to communi- cate that these crises are interconnected, and that they point to an unsustainable way of being. We need to choose another future, and that starts with getting off fossil fuels. We must show that there is a hopeful choice, and what that choice looks like, in 8 | CLIMATE ACTION MAGAZINE