I wake up to another day in beautiful Tromsø, Norway, and stand up. I go to shake my antlers, but realise the snow has already melted, and is now ice. Stupid warm weather. It feels hotter each year, and all I hear is humans complaining about their shorter ski season; I am sure they will manage! At least they aren’t forced to leave their homes like I was, with the new road. Actually, I take that back; I’ve heard about flooding moving humans out of their homes in Norway alone. I guess they are bringing it upon themselves, though. Well, not everyone, not Casper.
“Hello everybody,” announced Casper, a few hours later, “And welcome to today’s tour. I am going to introduce you to the important role of reindeer in Sami culture. We will be in a small group observing from a distance, and learning about the importance of protected areas.”
Isabelle was listening intently. She was ecstatic about possibly seeing a reindeer; it saddened her to think others would not be as lucky, with 81% in decline due to climate change. If it was her way, everyone would make small changes, accumulating to a big difference. She had already chosen climate-related modules for her study abroad.
“Our tours pledge to uphold Sustainable Development Goals 8, 11 and 12 by being small, locally owned, and responsible, preserving Sami culture. We will also talk about ways you can be sustainable, such as bringing a reusable water bottle and buying second-hand on Finn.no. ”
Also on the tour, Henrik whispered, “That won’t make a difference.”
“It will, actually,” Isabelle hissed, “The energy used to produce and transport plastic bottles could fuel 1.5 million cars a year. I always use a reusable bottle, recycle, and eat vegetarian.”
He thought for a second.
“It is too expensive though”
“Actually, it’s sometimes cheaper. I only do laundry once a week, saving on bills, and you know there are websites to help too?”
“No?”
“TooGoodtoGo lowers food waste, and I used an Interrail pass to travel here today, being sustainable and saving money.”
“I couldn’t go vegetarian though!”
“If you have to eat meat, try and eat less. The WWF Seafood Guide app shows how to eat fish sustainably, avoiding fish dredging etc.”
This continues.
After breakfast, I started listening in to Isabelle and Henrik, well, Isabelle really. Currently, she was advising selling clothes on Vinted. Great idea, though not applicable to reindeer; I have my fur coat.
BANG!
But not anymore. In that moment, I was shot, for my meat, and ironically, my coat. I didn’t want to die, but I lived for 10 years. My kids may not even make it to 2 years.
Climate change is a killer to all species.
Reader, you, and all humans need to change. Be more like Isabelle.
References:
1. https://www.norway.no/en/central-content/en/values-priorities/climate-env/
2. https://www.norceresearch.no/en/news/framtidens-klima-i-norge-flere-oversvommelser-mer-torke-og-mindre-sno
3. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/norway/indicators/
4. https://wwf.org.au/blogs/the-lifecycle-of-plastics/
5. https://www.sias.no/sustainability/buy-sell-trade-give-away/
6. www.toogoodtogo.com
7. https://www.vinted.co.uk
8. https://www.interrail.com/en/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/norway
9. https://www.norden.org/en/nominee/wwf-seafood-guide-app-norway-and-sweden#:~:text=While%20other%20apps%20help%20people,available%20in%20Norway%20and%20Sweden.
10. https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20231219-how-reindeer-help-fight-climate-change
11. https://www.arcticwwf.org/wildlife/reindeer-and-caribou/#
