You don’t have to go far to realize the impacts of climate change. We read about sea level rise from Bangladesh to Brazil, with difficulties of understanding the impact for us at home. Home for me is Europe - home to beautiful fields, lands and striking forests.
My beloved Europe, a continent with about 50 countries and each country having its own language, culture and nature; a union set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbors. Why do we need a reminder of all this, pitching a VR story about the unity for climate change? Because every local story, ties into the big picture of a global problem. This includes the international efforts to tackle climate change, through robust policy-making at home.
I want to focus on the unity of people from all the different countries, that devote their love and passion to combating climate change. In the spotlight Europe’s last primeval forest, the Bialowieza in Poland. Covering a total area of 141,885 hectares. The forest is a Unesco World Hermitage site, a relic of ancient woodlands, at the border of Poland and Belarus. Bialowieza Forest is an irreplaceable area for biodiversity conservation, due in particular to its size, protection status, and undisturbed nature. Want to see a bison and a Syrian woodpecker? Or climb ancient trees with activists, and get inspired to act on a local level? Or feel part of a community and experience hope because you learn the value of problem solving in your own region? Then follow me, scientists, and environmentalists from all over the world into the magnificent forest of Bialowieza.
Immerse into meadows, wetlands and river corridors. Figure out how you can help to protect the UNSECO heritage site, that is in danger due to new polish government policies. The EU ordered that all logging in the forest, which is home to protected habitats and species, be immediately suspended. Despite all the efforts, the polish environment ministry is allowing the cut down of large swathes of trees. They say they are protecting the forest from the infestation of the bark beetles - but ecologists say the government is acting in the interest of the logging industry.
Deforestation has a huge impact on our climate. Considering COP24 takes place in Katowice, Poland, where my family is from, this an opportunity to inspire local action on a global stage.
