Climate Walk through Europe

Starting in June 2022, we were walking through 16 European countries, exploring human perceptions, experiences and practices in dealing with Climate Change, and promote cooperation between individuals, local communities, and national and international organizations.

About the Walk

The alternating team was split in two, one started from the North Cape on the 5th of June 2022, the second one began their journey in Cabo da Roca on September 1st 2022. In April 2023, the two teams united in Vienna. This approach allowed us to compare the developments in Northern and Southern Europe with regards to fighting the pending Climate Crisis and offers the potential of reaching different audiences by simultaneously reporting from Team North and South.

In the course of this project everyone was invited to join us on a part of this journey. In addition, there were workshops along the path, through which we tried bring as many local and global actors as possible to a common table. Parallel to this, we were using various social media channels and blog, audio and visual  contributions to make the insights gained from visiting various European places and landscapes available to a wider public.

The Wanderers reached their final destination!

Check out the route of Team North and Team South

Life itself is as much a long walk as it is a long conversation, and the ways along which we walk are those along which we live.

(Ingold/Vergunst 2008: 1)

Media & Art

TV-Series

Episode 1: Climate Walk – High Up North

This first TV episode follows the first part of the Climate Walk in Norway – from the North Cape to Narvik. Over time, it becomes increasingly clear what obstacles nature has in store for the adventure. Although the route cannot be mastered exactly according to plan, the journey leads to emotional encounters with different people. What changes are being felt by the local population as a result of Climate Change and Changing Climates? (EN/2023)

(Password: ClimateWalk2022)

 

Podcast - Climate Talk

Episode 4: Starting Point

The European Climate Walk is on its way, and we reflect at this starting point on what we will do in the next few months: as a project, but also what is ahead for this podcast. We hear how the first hikers have prepared themselves for their journey in Northern Norway and talk with Gabriel Baunach from Climaware about the role of science communication in times of the Climate Crisis. Finally, we listen to the band Krafetzka and their song “No Planet B”

Episode 5: Energy, Reindeers and the North

While the Climate Walk teams spends several months hiking through Norway, they have encountered few people, many reindeers and occasionally a bear or a moose. With the people living in the most Norther parts of the Scandinavian peninsula, our Wanderers talked about changing weather conditions, expanding energy industries and what that means for their lives. They shared these impressions with us and we share their voices with you.

Episode 6: Burning Lands and Missing Water in the South

In this episode we listen to voices that our Team South collected this autumn on their journey through Portugal and Spain. We hear concerns about water and fire, droughts and eucalyptus.

Episode 7: Water, Wind & Injuries

In this episode we return to Team South and their journey in autumn/winter 2022/2023 through Southern France. Anna shares the experience of her foot injury, Eva her disappointment over wine-romance and Nina learned that the mistral is not at first a Yu-Gi-Oh monster. Listening to voices and telling our memories from the Climate Walk, we reflect on the thoughts and experiences of winds and weathers, wine and water, future hopes and fears, that people along our way shared with us.

Episode 8: Flora, Fauna and Resting in Norway

This episode takes you back in time to the end of summer 2022 to our Team North in Norway, where we spent quite a long time. While the recording took already place in September 2022, the editing was finished at the end of 2023. So we travel a bit back in time and listen to the voices our Wanderers collected in the North. The voices tell us about appearing and disappearing species, tourism, energy sources and who has a responsibility to act. Tune in to hear why they are concerend about the cloudberries, the discussions of how the Norwegian welfare state is financed and how our Wanderers are longing for their break days.

Episode 9: Water from above and below

Why do pipes need to be widened and dams in Denmark to be strenghtened? Are old or young people more aware of Climate Change? Why was the energy debate one of the majore topics in spite of the then upcoming parliamentary election? How did Nina choose to which people to talk to and how? And what can happen if Öresund straight freezes? These questions are discussed in this episode, while Greta and Nina are listening to the voices from the three weeks when Nina was walking through Denkmark in autumn 2022 in Team North.