I miss the cold. A sentence I never thought I’d say. But as I type this from a train bustling towards Manchester Piccadilly, during a gruelling heatwave, I cannot think of anything better. An even bitter pill to swallow, is that this is reportedly (likely) one of the ‘coolest summers we’ll experience’ [1] in our lifetimes.
But…this is much more than nostalgia over cooler days. I’m racked with hopelessness when my peers admit to knowing the harm of AI and fast-fashion and doing it anyway because it ‘doesn’t affect them’. Little do they know that the only difference between someone who goes without clean water and themselves, is geographical luck. Rightly, SDG 6, emphasises that we all deserve access to clean water and it’s not a privilege, but a right. This luck has been used, abused and misconstrued as if we’re the ‘chosen ones’.
I scroll through my Instagram feed, each post ironically spoon-feeding us words of encouragement for over-consumption – which directly goes against SDG 12 (reasonable consumption). Instead of uplifting eco-friendly resources like Vinted and TooGood2Go, we’re told “run, don’t walk to get these shoes on sale!” – without a second thought. Sustainability isn’t about being perfect and depriving yourself; it’s about taking time to make a conscious decision – not just when it’s easy or a trend like ‘save the turtles’. But sustainability cannot afford to be just another trend, and I refuse to let climate anxiety consume me and paralyse me into being idle.
When I’m abroad in Spain, I’ll take the metros and buses everywhere I can using apps like CityMapper to guide me and reduce my carbon footprint whilst travelling. I want to discover the country around me so that future generations, like my 6-month-old niece, can one day see everything this world has to offer. I plan on utilising myclimate.org which quantifies your efforts to use public transport as well to keep me encouraged.
Admittedly, being environmentally conscious won’t always be the easier choice. In my first year of university, I took the bus to and from my part-time job – 45 minutes each way, 3 days a week, all year. Sometimes I dreaded the commute, but looking back, I couldn’t have held down that job without it. And I like to think the world is a little bit better off because of that year.
The small sacrifices and compromises we make in the name of sustainability will look different in the changing seasons of our lives; but what matters is that we try. In my season of being abroad, I’ll use MadridMobility 360 and LazyPedals to ensure my travel is more efficient and greener. Nostalgia and regret can either keep us in place or propel us into making changes, now.
So yes, I do miss the cold. But sadly, if we continue as we are, we’ll one day soon, miss drinking clean water, green tapestries and feel nostalgic about birds in the sky, and wonder where it all went so wrong.
[1]https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-hot-summer-is-one-of-the-coolest-of-the-rest-of-our-lives/
