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At last week’s conference, Dr. Richard Elelman, Policy Director of CASSANDRA and a member of the advisory board of the GEMS WATER program at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), shocked the audience with this stark statement: « Climate change is not a prediction. It is an experience endured by many, measured not only by rising temperatures, but also by rising hunger, displacement, increasing violence, and growing social, economic, and gender inequalities. »
Behind the cold statistics lie shattered lives. « We are talking about hospitals overwhelmed by climate-related illnesses, about communities forced to migrate not by choice, but by necessity. About conflicts intensified by water scarcity, » warns Richard Elelman. Worse still: while some world leaders « turn their backs on the issue of climate change » to fund weapons, the most vulnerable pay the price.
« The most dangerous illusion of our time is the belief that inaction is neutral. It is not. Inaction is a decision, and it is a decision whose cost is paid by the most vulnerable, » he asserts.
Inspired by Mark Carney in Davos, the Director of Cassandra rejects waiting: « We must actively confront the world as it is, not wait for the world we wish it to be. Waiting has become a luxury our society can no longer afford. »
Launched in 2021 by EURECAT, this initiative, CASSANDRA, is « not an organization…nor an ideological banner, » but « a series of climate-related actions » that brings together scientists, activists, artists, and citizens.
Three simple pillars:
- Local communities at the heart of the engagement
- Simplicity of action
- Experts who speak plainly to counter climate fake news
« Cassandra exists precisely because the world as it is demands engagement, not abstraction; responsibility, not rhetoric; action, not postponement, » he summarizes.
Dr. Richard Elelman, the man behind the mission
Head of the policy department and head of CASSANDRA, Elelman concludes urgently: « Cassandra is not about prediction. It’s about responsibility. It’s not about fear, but about urgency. »
Patrick Mapenzi
