Let’s talk with… Reem Al Saffar

This time we have the great honor to ask some questions to Reem, in order to know something more concerning her experience as climate activist and Youth Delegate of Iraq at PreCOP26 organized in Milan a few days ago (21-23 September 2021).

1 – Reem, first of all, thank you very much for your kind availability! May you tell us what was your path to the awareness of the climate crisis and how you decided to become a climate activist?

It began when I was a kid. I think that education is very important for climate action, because it changes the way you look at things. I watched many videos, I saw what Greta Thunberg and other activists were doing, but I‘ve never got the chance to do anything “active” until I started University. During the pandemic, with other students who were also very interested in these topics, we decided to create a group called “İklim Krizi Topluluğu”, which after a few months had become Turkey’s first inter-University Climate Crisis Club, bringing together higher-education students from all over the country to work underneath the same tent with a shared goal!

In less than a year (this month is our anniversary!) we’ve been doing online awareness, we’ve been creating content and we have organized free seminars (like a two-hour class) with some of Turkey’s top professors in the field, including climatology, geology and environmentalists who volunteered their time and knowledge to support our cause. It was really successful! I have also been hosting an Instagram live series discussing multiple topics in the climate sphere with some of my fellow Youth4Climate delegates.

2 – Do you think that a significant part of Iraq’s people knows enough about climate emergency?

To be honest, Iraqi people have been through so much trauma and hardship in the past few decades and are still fighting for their rights to obtain basic living necessities like 24/7 running electricity and water (especially those who live in rural areas); things that people in many other countries take for granted, so the climate awareness movement- although present- is a little slow.

There are organizations of young people that are trying to raise awareness on the climate crisis, using social media platforms and workshops. As fpr the climate situation in Iraq, Summers are getting hotter every year, precipitation rates are constantly decreasing which leads to droughts affecting agriculture, and lost agriculture resources affect livelihoods and the economy, which also affects other sectors in the country. It’s just a continuous intersectional loop of one aspect affecting another.

3 – In Italy, Parents for Future and Fridays for Future are promoting the diffusion of Climate Clock on the territory. What do you think about this campaign for spreading awareness to the people?

I think it’s a really smart way for simplifying a very complex concept to the general public! Of course you can’t always just give people scientific terms or explanations, because a lot of people either won’t care enough to listen or will find it too complicated to understand. You always have to simplify concepts to the general public because you want to make sure that the biggest number of people are on board with the idea!

I think it’s a great way, I also like the graphics and everything! I think it’s simple, it’s effective. You can spread it around the entire country! Everyone could start a similar awareness campaign in different countries, because it’s easily implementable and the resources are available almost everywhere. I really like that and the simplicity of it! It could be great if you could add a few solutions or suggestions that people can implement in their everyday lives!