The effects of the climate crisis are no longer a concern for the future, are a reality that we live day to day. The heat waves are becoming more intense, prolonged drought affecting crops and reservoirs, forest fires and floods that devastate thousands of hectares of land and the loss of biodiversity in unique ecosystems are clear signs that climate change is altering our daily life and our natural environment. In fact, this summer has been the hottest ever recorded in Spain, while most of 2,1 °C above the average of 1991-2020, which intensified the conditions for forest fires.
Before all of this, not enough to worry about: the urgent need is to act. And there is where comes the environmental volunteering and environmental activism. Although both forms of involvement have different approaches, together they can generate high-impact
Environmental volunteering: hands-on
The environmental volunteering is when you are sums of practical ways to take care of nature. It is the direct action, dedicate your time and energy to projects and activities that protect, restore and enhance the environment. Some examples could be: reforest a forest or an urban area; clean beaches, rivers, and parks; to participate in recycling campaigns; or care for animals rescued from natural disasters.
Through the environmental volunteering not only help to mitigate the climate crisis, but also:
- See concrete results: a space more clean, one tree planted, an animal recovered.
- You learn a lot about the natural environment.
- You strengthen bonds with your community and meet people with your same interests.
- It is an experience that fills you with well-being and connection to nature.
Environmental activism: to raise the voice
Environmental activism, in contrast, seeks to change the rules of the game. This is not only to cleanse a space, but to protect the environment and promote sustainability through various strategies, such as awareness of social, political pressure to change laws, scientific research, and direct action. In particular, consist in: attend marches and demonstrations; to sign and spread requests; engage in awareness-raising campaigns on social networks; to promote projects of law or to report harmful.
By the environmental activism, you can:
- Help the environmental problems are visibilicen
- To achieve large-scale changes, such as laws or policies that are more fair.
- Empower people and communities to defend their right to a healthy environment.
- Building networks and alliances with other social causes.
What if you combine both?
The best thing is that you don’t have to choose just one to act against climate change. You can participate in as a volunteer on a weekend and at the same time to join campaigns or demonstrations. Planting a tree helps, obviously, but require policy of reforestation multiply that impact.
In fact, volunteering and activism complement: one transforms the immediate environment, the other is looking at large-scale changes. And together they are an unstoppable force to defend our planet, and your well being, as your desire to change the world.
If you want to explore the pathways of collaboration through volunteering, enters Hacesfalta.org and discover all the possibilities. And if, in turn, want to join the environmental activism, sign in Accionporelclima.org to find your community.
Climate change is not a distant threat, but a daily threat. This summer, Spain has suffered one of the worst waves of forest fires recorded, with most of 382 thousand hectares killed, thousands of people evacuated and several lives lost. Added to this are extreme weather events becoming more frequent, as the DANA 2024, which left serious damage in whole communities.
In this context, the social action is more indispensable than ever. And although science and politics marked the roadmap, citizens mobilized is the engine that transforms the commitment in action.
Citizen action against weather emergencies
The wave of fire has recently revealed something fundamental: when the crisis hits, the company responds. It is estimated that thousands of people in Spain have been involved this summer in support tasks related to climate emergencies, from fire prevention to assistance in evacuation and recovery spaces. These voluntary actions are not only ease the burden of the professional services, but to expand the scope of the response and strengthen the resilience of communities.
Environmental volunteering: a commitment to nature
In recent years, the environmental volunteering in Spain has moved steadily to millions of people that participate in the activities of conservation, restoration, and awareness.
It is estimated that each year we spend more than 100 thousand hours of volunteering to work planting trees, cleaning of rivers, campaigns for the reduction of waste, or environmental education. This collective effort has a direct impact on the recovery of ecosystems, and the prevention of risks associated with climate change.
Corporate volunteering: the power of combining efforts
Corporate volunteering has experienced a remarkable growth in Spain: currently, 2 out of every 3 big companies have programs stable to allow their employees to devote time to social and environmental projects.
Thanks to this commitment, mobilize every year tens of thousands of people in initiatives related to energy efficiency, the circular economy or the restoration of natural spaces. The benefit is twofold: environmental impact and strengthening the culture of sustainability in companies.
Activism climate: keep the urgency of the agenda
In parallel, the activism climate continues to grow. In recent years, have been organized in Spain, hundreds of protests and campaigns which have managed to place emergency climate in public and political debate. Citizen participation in these actions is especially relevant among the youth: a key sector that, with their voices and their demands, drives cultural change and policy towards sustainability.
The data show that volunteering and activism are not an add-on, but a structural part of the climate resiliency in Spain. The social action is today a fundamental pillar in the fight against climate change, from the heroic work (and sometimes risky) of those who cooperate in fires, until the corporate campaigns, and youth activism. All of these initiatives add up to build a more sustainable future.
The challenge is enormous, but so is our collective ability to respond to the environmental challenge.
Discover how to collaborate onAccionporelclima.org and turns your commitment into concrete action. Participate, engage, and act.
Sources
- Plataforma del Voluntariado de España – Portrait of the volunteers in 2024
https://plataformavoluntariado.org/el-retrato-de-las-personas-voluntarias-en-2024
- Open daily – 4.2 million spaniards, the 10 % of the population, have been volunteers in 2024
https://www.diarioabierto.es/693716/42-millones-de-espanoles-el-10-de-la-poblacion-han-sido-voluntarios-en-2024
- Five Days (to The Country) – The action corporate social, the reach of the hand (February 2025)
https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-02-04/la-accion-social-corporativa-al-alcance-de-la-mano.html
- The Adecco foundation – Report on corporate volunteering in Spain (December 2024) https://fundacionadecco.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/041224NDP-VOLUNTARIADO-CORPORATIVO-.pdf
