So, a bit of back story that triggered this post.
I'm a father of two boys (6 and 2 years old) and welcoming the New Year at midnight is no longer something that is appealing due to the early wake ups thanks to my boys. The last few years it been a tradition to sit down together and watch the New Year fireworks on TV in the morning. 2025 was no different and we sat down and enjoyed watching the Hong Kong and Burj Khalifa fireworks before breakfast.
After breakfast, while enjoying a cup of tea and scrolling through social media, a post annoyed me slightly.
"Crowd pleasing Fireworks are choking the planet"
Now, while the messaging is correct and important, I feel that sometimes we just need to enjoy life a bit. The conversation around climate change has been dominated by a sense of doom. While it’s vital to understand the gravity of our environmental challenges, it’s equally important to reframe the narrative. I feel this repeated use of doom is having the opposite effect on people, instead of galvanising them to make a change, it creates a sense of hopelessness in individuals. This is purely based on conversations I've had personally when discussing the Climate Crisis with people who aren't in the "Sustainable Bubble".
Rather than showing how the planet is suffering, lead with examples of how it can be helped. For example, for Chinese New Year 2024, Singapore did a dragon drone show. That inspired this year's Shanghai New Year show, though they also incorporated fireworks into it.
Highlighting Success Stories
Across the globe, countless individuals and organisations are making significant strides in sustainability. From innovative technologies to community-led initiatives, there are many success stories that deserve to be highlighted. Sharing these stories not only celebrates achievements but also provides guidance for others to follow.
Using another example of a couple of posts I saw in 2024. Which story do you think is (and was) more inspiring:
LA County is euthanising dogs at a record rate
PE Coach pairs students with shelter dogs in cross country training
Both stories were posted by dog shelters in California and highlighted the fact that the number of dogs in shelters is increasing. The difference is that the one focusing on the positive solution received more engagement and resulted in a significant increase in adoption rates in the second half of the year for that shelter.
Emphasising Collective Action
The climate challenge can feel overwhelming when viewed as an individual. By emphasising collective action, we remind ourselves that we are not alone. Communities, governments, and businesses all have a role to play. Working together, we can create a sustainable future for generations to come.
It reminds me of a scene from A Bugs Life, when the grasshopper villain talks about how a single ant is weak but as a collective, they can easily overpower them.
We need to work against the feeling that small efforts are futile and show the positive outcomes these small, and big, efforts can create. If we are all pulling in the same direct, everything should have a positive result.
...and don't just depress people with negativity after negativity
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