There is a long way to go – but it may be necessary if we do not want to wet our feet in the future. Floods become part of our everyday lives, unless we start doing something about our climate, ”shows a plaque on a rather exciting bench facing the famous Copenhagen Lakes.
Hard to sit down on compared to most public benches, the seat is deliberately raised by 85 centimeters.
It is a reminder of what the UN Panel on Climate Change constantly tells us: If we continue to live as we do today, sea levels will continue to rise by up to one meter by 2100.
According to Danish researchers, the increase may even be faster: an increase of 135 cm at that time.
Benchmark for the future
“With the raised benches, we want to give the Danes a concrete picture of what the future will be like. It is our land and thus our responsibility to act on it, ”explains Lotte Lindegaard, content director at TV2.
The Danish radio company is behind the campaign in collaboration with the municipality.
As a public service media, TV2 acknowledges its responsibility to make people think about the climate challenges by making it visual and clear to all Danes.
The 15 raised benches are set up in various popular places in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense.
English smart angle
Initially, the benches only had to stand for four weeks before they were dismantled and recycled by the sustainable furniture manufacturer GH Form, but now they are getting a little longer. Honestly, they fit well into the Copenhagen landscape.
A few prominent people have stood next to them to draw attention to the good cause – a struggle in the light of columns taken by the war in Ukraine since February.
Among them was the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, who managed to bring things together by wearing yellow and blue sneakers.
A cycle of change
Raising awareness about climate change is one thing. Acting is another. Resilience and creativity are the key to implementing change. “It’s in our hands to make a difference,” Nelson Mandela once said wisely.
For Nick Zoltowski, his call to action was to see powerless refugees flee Ukraine.
The Englishman, who works for the UN Refugee Agency in Nordhavn, tackles ongoing climate challenges head-on.
That’s why Refugee Bicycle Club was born as a virtual community on refugeebicycleclub.com and physically at Café Parforce – “a hub for all the good things about cycling”, the website states.
Together with Birger, the man behind Café Parforce, and Laurenz, a student in software development, Nick empowers refugees with the freedom of used two-wheeled cars. Ideally located by Klampenborg S-train station, Café Parforce is the perfect place to spend their free time arranging used bicycles to be donated.
More likes, more bikes
Four-year-old Mia was one of the first children to have a repaired bicycle. When she fled her home in Odessa a few weeks ago, she could only ride her balance bike. It is in Denmark that she has learned to ride without stabilizers.
“The feelings were amazing: she had a desire to go right away,” says her mother thanks to Google Translate.
Nick has many more stories like this to share. With 116 requests for 179 bikes on his Excel file, he is calling for “more likes and more bikes”.