Inspiring Action Through Storytelling

Whilst people were waiting to go into the lecture theatre at Lancaster University to hear Bella Lack speak on climate action, a woman called Faith, stopped me to enthusiastically tell me that she’d spotted two sparrows in a small courtyard meadow area. 

She was clutching a bird book and on closer inspection, we saw that they were a pair of goldfinches, coincidentally the same bird that adorned the cover! 

I rushed to get my long lens and managed to capture one of the balancing on a dandelion stalk. The university have many conservation initiatives so it was great to see one in action! 

Much of Bella’s fantastic talk was about the shifts in attitude towards (or against in many recent cases) climate action, at government level but also amongst the general public, and how stories are key to engagement. 

We’re human and stories are part of our experience. 

Bella wrote a book after interviewing young people affected by climate change across the world, that tells their stories (‘The Children of the Anthropocene’).

Another thing that Bella spoke about is the importance of being bold and taking decisive action to improve the world around us when we see people or the planet in need of assistance. If one person starts, another may join, then inspired by those two, many more.

Amongst Bella's many other successes, she has co-founded an organisation focused on conserving biodiverse habitat through youth action (Reserva) and worked with Jane Goodall on 'Animal', a superb documentary film by Cyril Dion.

Bella Lack with Matt Sowerby, Climate Writer and Activist

The book-signing queue was long. It was no surprise as Bella's talk was powerful.

We must all keep telling stories, keep creative thinking alive, and use and support the arts to convey important messages and hopefully inspire action.