Surfers have intimate knowledge of the ocean, but have not been seen as leading figures among groups leading solutions to climate change. Thanks to groups like Surfers for Climate (Climate Surfers) in Australia, that perception is starting to change.
The image of the typical laid-back surfer doesn’t fit easily with the stereotype of serious environmental activists. But bodyboarder (a style of surfing) elite Chris Kirkman is proof that surfers have a role to play in fighting the climate emergency.
Kirkman has competed everywhere from Portugal and Chile to Tahiti and Brazil, and it was through surfing that he began to consider the effect of humans on the weather.
In 2019, Kirkman, along with the champion of longboard (long board) Belinda Baggs, co-founded Surfers for Climate. The organization has four key goals:
- mobilize and empower an alliance of surfers to care about the climate
- fight climate change
- help the surfing community play a role in stopping coastal and offshore fossil fuel development
- get politicians representing surfing communities to take action to curb climate change
On the front lines of climate change
Australia, which has suffered droughts, bushfires and floods across the country in recent years, is on the front lines of the climate crisiswhich generates greater concern among all sectors of the population, including surfers.
“A lot of Australians were aware of climate change, but then the fires and floods really added to the urgency of the problem,” says Kirkman. “It’s still a difficult path for people as they don’t know where to start or where to go.”
Part of the mandate Surfers for Climate it is reach the surfers and point them in the right direction.
“We’re still learning about our audience and how to engage them,” explains Kirkman, “finding out how we take every surfer on a journey for climate action. We refer to it as a wave of engagement with multiple takeoff points on that wave.”
exchange network
The nonprofit has done everything from hosting climate-themed pub trivia nights to producing environmentally friendly consumer guides.
Last month, they launched a new initiative called trade-up (Exchange), aimed at surfers who are also merchants, such as builders, carpenters and electricians.
“We ran a one-day seminar, bringing in different material suppliers and builders who were adopting best practices in their workplaces in terms of material and carbon neutrality,” says Kirkman.
“They had never had anyone engage with them on the environment in their entire working life. We know that there are huge emissions from construction, but we are not talking to the merchants. They haven’t been involved in the climate movement, but they just needed someone to talk to them and give them examples of best practice,” she adds.
Kirkman also notes that the discussion has been quite intellectual for a long time, with “people in suits in large meetings talking about frames and broadcasts, and we have forgotten that there are ordinary people who can participate if you take the time to interact with themand that’s what we try to do with Surfers for Climate”.
Communication is vital, as is knowing who your audience is and what they’re going to respond to, and Kirkman argues that people who aren’t scientists but are passionate about the subject need to figure out how to get their message across.
As the climate crisis grows more intense, more and more people are experiencing the devastating reality of a changing climate.
In 2021, for example, Australia experienced flooding
The United Nations Development Program has named Australian singer Cody Simpson a Defender of the Oceans.
disastrous tions in the rivers of northern New South Wales, and many surfers took the initiative to help with the rescue effortsusing jet skis to rescue people stranded in their homes and delivering vital supplies.
Kirkman hopes that Surfers for Climate you can expand your initiative trade-upengaging with politicians before the next election, and like many nonprofits, raising money so they can continue their work.
“It’s the hardest, but most enjoyable job I’ve ever had,” he says. “There’s definitely nothing else I’d rather be doing.”
