Cross Party Group on Climate, Nature and Wellbeing
Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Hinsawdd, Natur a Lles
17:00 – 18:00
19.01.2023
Virtual Meeting over Zoom
Cyfarfod ar-lein dros Zoom
Agenda
1. Croeso a chyflwyniad
Welcome and introduction
Delyth Jewell MS
2. Muhammad Qasim, Eco-anxiety and existential choices: a way to save nature and ensure wellbeing
Muhammad Qasim, Eco-bryder a dewisiadau dirfodol: ffordd o achub natur a sicrhau lles
3. Cofnodion y cyfarfod diwethaf
Minutes of the last meeting
Delyth Jewell MS
4. Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol
5. Llysgenhadon Hinsawdd Ieuenctid Cymru
Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales
6. Any other business and date of next meeting
Delyth Jewell MS
Busnes arall
Actions
- Arts Council Wales to present at next meeting
- Public Health Wales to present at next meeting on Climate Change Health Impact Assessment
Attendees: Anouchka Grose, Antonia Fabian, Catrin James, Owen, Judith Musker Turner, Justin John, Kate Lowther, Laura, Lewis Brace, Luke Jefferies, Madelaine Phillips-Welsh , Muhammad Qasim, Nicolas Webb,
Ollie John, Poppy Stowell-Evans, Tahir Alam Awan, Zak Viney
MS in Attendance;Delyth Jewell MS, Ryland Doyle (on behalf of Mike Hedges MS)
Minutes
1. Croeso a chyflwyniad
Welcome and introduction
Delyth Jewell MS
Delyth Jewell MS
- Welcome and introduction to new members
Luke Jefferies
- From Swansea University Psychology department putting together an environmental psychology group focussing on climate research and wellbeing
Nicholas Webb
- Policy and Public Affairs Manager for RCGP
Zach Viney
- From Cycling UK
Delyth Jewell MS
- Welcome to Emma, head of policy, grants and governance at Urdd Cymru
- Welcome to Muhhamad Qasim, joining us from Pakistan
2. Muhammad Qasim, Eco-anxiety and existential choices: a way to save nature and ensure wellbeing
Muhammad Qasim, Eco-bryder a dewisiadau dirfodol: ffordd o achub natur a sicrhau lles
Muhammad Qasim
- PhD Research Scholar at the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. My thesis is in English Literature but am interested in environmental psychology and environmentalism, nature, and climate
- My topic is eco-anxiety and existential choices; a way to save nature and ensure wellbeing
- Existential choices are a step one can take to give meaning to life and to drag oneself out of helpless and depressing conditions, these steps can help to manage anxiety
- I was inspired by Jean Paul Sartre’s existentialist philosophy that man has the potential to give meaning to his existence by utilising his freedom of choice, man has freedom of choice, power of action, and sense of responsibility
- In my own life I was once in a really depressed and helpless condition, I live in a village in the countryside with open farmland and gardens and ancient trees, a few years ago business men bought some land and started a construction plan to build a large farming factory
- I was imagining a really terrible future with all the green lands and trees replaced by industry and environmental pollution
- Other people in my village were experiencing the same anxieties and worries at the same time
- I was reminded of Jean Paul Sartre’s philosophy that man has the potential to make the right choices so I made the existential choice to help my fellow villagers and the community
- I went door to door and spoke to people about the natural environment and they joined me and started a rebellion, we protested and resisted strongly, succeeding in stopping the business group from building the huge farming project
- Young people should go for such existential choices instead of worrying and doing nothing, by taking extraordinary steps in this way we can protect the environment and ecological systems
- In Pakistan almost half our population has faced severe floods and millions have died so I want to work with the community to make existential choices for environmental activism on a larger scale
Delyth Jewell MS
- Many thanks to Muhhamad
- At what stage are you in your PhD?
Muhhamad Qasim
- I have written 3 out of 5 chapters and hope to be finished in the next 2 months
Zach Viney
- I think one of the biggest tools used by the media is to exploit apathy to make people not care, stories like yours really get the themes of climate and justice to the centre of the conversation.
- Some of the most powerful things to facilitate change are feelings of dread and having nature stripped from you
- Thank you for sharing your
Anouchka Grose
- When you were campaigning, were there really obvious turning points when you suddenly realised that it would work, or has worked?
Muhammad Qasim
- I started just going door to door and after a few days people were convinced, especially when I asked them to imagine what it would be like with no lands, no trees, and everything replaced by industry
- People realised that this wasn’t the life which they wanted and so they joined me
- We went to the office of the business and protested and we forced them to leave their plans
- Some government ministers also listened and helped us
- A lot of expansion goes unchecked by the government and I’m really concerned about it
Delyth Jewell MS
- If anything which is discussed triggers anyone or brings up uncomfortable memories please feel free to turn your camera off or leave the meeting, you don’t have to explain
- It’s interesting to see how turning points come when people are able to see the devastating effects of the climate catastrophe
- Invitation to Mr Qasim to be a permanent member of the group
3. Cofnodion y cyfarfod diwethaf
Minutes of the last meeting
Delyth Jewell MS
Minutes of the last meeting approved by the group
4. Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol
Delyth Jewell was nominated as Chair by Oliver John and was duly elected.
Delyth Jewell
RCPsych Wales was nominated as Secretary and was duly elected
5. Llysgenhadon Hinsawdd Ieuenctid Cymru
Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales
Poppy Stowell-Evans
- The Youth Climate Ambassadors are a group facilitated by Size of Wales, made up of 16 members aged 13- 25 aiming to empower accessible and unified climate action
- The priority for the next few years is climate refugees with an estimated 21.4 million people being displaced as a result of climate change
- The YCA are working on a petition to present to the UK Government to legitimise the status of climate refugee and in the meantime are campaigning to raise awareness of the issue. The petition should be launched in the next few months
- YCA are also preparing for their AGM and considering their new priorities
Delyth Jewell MS
- How can people best support the campaign?
Poppy Stowell Evans
- As the petition hasn’t yet been officially launched there isn’t a web page but people can email me
Oliver John
- The Royal College of Psychiatrists will be supporting this and we’re keen for our members to support this also
Judith Musker Turner
- Arts Council Wales also keen to support and to present in the next meeting
Lewis Brace
- Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit of Public Health Wales to update on climate change health impact assessment
Delyth Jewell MS
- Meeting with the Welsh Government Minister for Education, so please get in touch with any points or research you’d like to I would be keen to invite him
- Potential to invite him to a future meeting
6. Any other business and date of next meeting
Delyth Jewell MS
Busnes arall
- Date of next meeting to be set tentatively for the 16th March at 5pm