Everyone can be a changemaker… what is your anatomy of action?
By 2050, the world’s population will reach a whopping 10 billion people, and with more people comes more consumption—of food, fashion, travel… In a world stretched thin for resources and under the threat of global climate change, it is high time we, as individuals, make choices that move us away from a take-make-waste economy.
The future is made up of the cumulative outcomes of our actions today. The way we move, what food we eat and how we treat our clothes are all crucial to determining the impact we have on the planet. We are all citizen designers, with the power to effect positive change through our everyday actions, no matter who we are, or where we live.
But how do we know which actions to focus on? Individuals can make more sustainable choices in everyday decisions while asking governments and companies for more information and options. With 2 to 3 billion new consumers coming on line in the near future—most of them young and in urban contexts—harnessing the power of today's trend setters and tomorrow's decision makers could be the game changer.
Activate your anatomy of action
An initiative of the UN Environment Programme and the UnSchool of Disruptive Design—and a contribution to the One Planet Network's Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme—the anatomy of action is a pathway for individuals to combat climate change and build a more sustainable world by swapping their current behaviours to more sustainable, planet-friendly ones.
The initiative highlights five key lifestyle domains where any individual can make top-level changes to contribute to the global shift towards sustainability: food, stuff, move, money and fun. Under each domain, the anatomy of action outlines three evidence-based actions with how-to’s.
Examples include buying food with no or little packaging; buy from companies that provide spare parts for repair, take-back options, or use recycled materials in production; cycle, walk or use electric vehicles for getting around.
Until 30 September, take the action challenge and join our lead challenge activators who are making lifestyle changes in the areas of food (@sibamtongana), stuff (@katherine_ormerod), move (@luislarrain), money (@lk_laurent and @brycelangston), and fun (@ihssanebenalluch).
What action will you commit to? Share your #AnatomyOfAction and challenge 3 friends!
Initiatives like these are promoted across the UN System of funds, programmes and agencies as part of a larger social mobilization campaign called #ActNow. Over over 170,000 actions have been logged on the ActNow platform. The activities raise awareness, ambition, and action on climate and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement.
