To best manage the climate crisis, European Union officials are encouraged to think

Brussels officials who work on the climate policy of the Green Pact or Green Deal take meditation courses. Inspired by Buddhist practices, these mindfulness trainings have one goal: to accelerate the development of consensus among decision-makers.

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Interior transition, missing link?

The mindfulness program is called “ inner green deal or the Green Pact on the Interior. This European initiative starts from an observation, teaches us the guardIn particular, highlighted in a recent report from the IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the internal transition is a largely neglected dimension of climate crisis management. An order from the Mindfulness Initiative, which has set up a meditation practice group within the UK Parliament. In a recently published report, the program wrote the roots of the climate crisis ” to the ” disconnection between yourself, others and nature† †

Therefore, the practice of meditation seems to be a relevant response to better management of the crisis for the first people involved: the decision-makers of the European Union.

Forest walks, meditation classes

The program ” inner green deal invites Brussels officials in particular for walks in the woods. The target? Reconnecting with life, rediscovering empathy for the natural environment. Meditation sessions are also scheduled to practice” listen deeply “, the condition sine qua non to a real dialogue between decision-makers.

The raw data from the climate crisis can be disturbing: European Union officials are not spared the phenomenon of eco-anxiety. The practice of the meditation program, which started before the negotiations started, has made it possible to approach the climate issue from a wider perspective. It was also a matter of addressing his personal relationship with environmental issues throughout the process.

First results

One of the reasons for the political indolence would be the feeling ” that there is not much to do “: a prejudice that would have been overcome through the practice of meditation. Jeroen Janss, who leads the program, explains to the guard that during the sessions very strong emotions come up: deep sadness, guilt, despair. the ‘I’green deal allows you to learn how to better regulate these emotions, turning them into a driving force for action.

The reception of the program was not unanimous: some were impatient, arguing that they were the ” heart of the matter In general, however, it appears that the ” inner green deal strengthened the motivation of the participants to take the climate crisis into their own hands.

“Had I not listened deeply, I would not have been able to understand what 195 countries and thousands of stakeholders had to say. I really wanted to know what they had to say. †

Christiana Figueres, former UN climate negotiator, on the Paris Agreement. the guard

Mindfulness training, a tool to change the world? Meditate !

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