Daily Junction.mobi portal<figure class="align-center zoomable"> <a aria-label="Zoomable image" href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="grand inside of building, people sat looking at screen at far end of room" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/747435/original/file-20260713-82-vn90lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a> <figcaption> <span class="caption">A screening of People’s Emergency Briefing at St Pancras New Church, London, in April 2026.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Britton/Operation Noah</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span> </figcaption> </figure>
<h2>Global action</h2>
<p>Policy-based solutions are far more complex than shifts in personal lifestyle or community-based action. Any policy changes are often dictated by economic incentive and a tendency for short-term solutions in line with voting cycles. The Montreal protocol succeeded not because nations were concerned about the ozone layer, but because the cost-benefit lined up. </p>
<p>In contrast, the Kyoto protocol, a landmark treaty introduced in 1997 by the UN, stalled largely because it placed legally binding cuts to greenhouse gas emissions on developed nations but not on developing ones. This led to several major emitters dropping out of the agreement, <a href="https://journals.law.harvard.edu/elr/wp-content/uploads/sites/79/2019/07/31.1-Sunstein.pdf">mostly due to the perceived net loss of participation</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-paris-climate-agreement-turns-ten-its-showing-its-age-268147">UN’s Paris climate agreement</a> softened the ask even more: suggesting nations volunteer pledges, on the assumption that peer pressure is a substitute for personal gain. Now, parties are falling short of even their own modest targets, <a href="https://www.ecologylawquarterly.org/print/the-paris-agreement-in-the-2020s-breakdown-or-breakup/">with little sign that reputational pressure can close the gap</a>. </p>
<p>That’s moral licensing at the treaty level: pledging substitutes for stronger commitments. At the community level, goodwill isn’t enough without structural support, like a council commitment or visible local stakes, to drive real change.</p>
<p>This begs the question, what can you do? To start, <a href="https://www.nebriefing.org/screening-map">you should go see the film</a>. Bring your friends, tell your neighbour and write to your MP. When the conversation starts, try exploring solutions that take you out of your comfort zone, and redirect any mention of blame towards actionable suggestions.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/287280/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/randa-lindsey-kachef-1513233">Randa Lindsey Kachef</a>, Lecturer in Environmental Geography, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/birkbeck-university-of-london-2160">Birkbeck, University of London</a></em>; <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/edward-white-2411541">Edward White</a>, PhD Candidate in Psychology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kingston-university-949">Kingston University</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-climate-film-triggers-debate-heres-how-to-make-those-conversations-constructive-287280">original article</a>.</p> </div>