KAMY organized a Climate Circle to briefly discuss the main points from the IPCC AR6 WGII report and most importantly how to navigate our climate grief. This is also our first time coming together (physically) at our new space.
We started off the day with rounds of introductions and a few ice breaking questions. Half of us are 'old' members in KAMY while the other half are very new people who have just started working with us a few months ago.
Then we had a presentation that highlighted:
What Is the IPCC?
What Does the IPCC Do?
Why is it so important?
What does the latest report mean?
What do activists think of the report?
What about false solutions?
What's next?
The discussion part of the session, we focused on navigating the climate grief:
When you first read the report, what goes through your mind? What do you feel?
Climate grief is a real thing. It refers to feelings of sadness, loss, and anxiety in response to climate devastation. Do you feel this way everyday/sometimes?
What keeps you going everyday? What helps you to cope?
During the recent floods in Klang Valley/Tganu/Kelantan), were you affected in any way? Share your experience.
Did you see discourse surrounding climate? If yes/no, why do you think so?
In terms of climate action, do you think Malaysia is doing enough? Try exploring the gaps of your understanding.
What are some recent climate initiatives you have seen that makes you hopeful? It can be local or international.
It was crucial to ensure that the discussions did not lead to 'building solutions' because the main purpose of this space was just to identify what we feel without being judged. It was particularly interesting to hear that while others feel extremely concerned, there are others who feel very little concern. We figured that it might be due to being desensitized from consuming too much grim news these past few weeks, especially during the flood disasters across Peninsular Malaysia.
At the end of the discussions, it was concluded that most of us are still hopeful and that all of us must work together. These past two years, discourse about climate crisis in Malaysia has definitely increased, but we need to build more pressure and hold our government accountable. The problem with Malaysians is that we always forget and we get comfortable pretty quick after a disaster. This must change.
Our climate circle ended with a DIY screen-printing session. The stencil writes "Kalau diam, kita tenggelam" which translates to "If we stay silent, we will drown" in light of the current flood disaster in our country that has not stopped since December 2021.
Thank you Fatihah, Nats, and Reen for making this happen!
Note about COVID-19 SOPs: Everyone who came to the circle has been fully vaccinated and has done self-test before arriving at the space. We also provided self-test kits at the entrance. Throughout the circle, everyone wore masks and sanitized their hands. We also made sure windows were open for better circulation in the space.