Anyone wanting to take a lead role in tackling the climate crisis could not ask for a better mentor than Al Gore.
Fortunately for budding activists, the former United States vice president is available to do precisely that.
As well as starring in the double Oscar-winning documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' and being awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to alert the world about the dangers of global heating, Gore is also the founder of a non-profit organization called The Climate Reality Project.
Its aim is to give people worried about the environmental crisis the opportunity to do something about it, providing them with the information and communication skills needed to follow his lead and, as the movement's slogan says: 'Lead on Climate'.
A global network of people from 192 countries, its next stop is Rome, where Al Gore will lead a three-day training session June 28-30 for around 1,000 new Climate Reality Leaders, as the movement's members are called.
"Many people are not aware of it, but Europe is now the fastest-warming continent on Earth and Europe faces increasingly devastating downpours, floods, mudslides, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, stronger storms and more," Gore said in a video inviting people to sign up for the three-day programme.
"This training, which is free to attend, is your opportunity to learn the latest scientific facts about the causes of the climate crisis and the solutions to the climate crisis that are in our hands today.
"You can learn new communication skills and you'll be networked with others who share your goals and values.
"By participating you'll become part of a global community of Climate Reality leaders working together to usher in real climate solutions worldwide.
"As we face the critical challenges posed by the climate crisis, your voice is more important than ever," concluded the 76-year-old Democratic Party heavyweight.
"What comes next is up to us".
At the moment there are close to 50,000 trained Climate Reality leaders, who form the nucleus of a 3.5-million-strong network.
The movement and its members help each other push for a just transition toward net zero emissions by the middle of this century, with major steps toward that goal by 2030, in a wide variety of ways, joining forces to increase their impact.
Climate Reality leaders are encouraged, for example, to give presentations based on those given by Gore himself to raise awareness of the problem, to take part in campaigns such as the annual 24 Hours of Reality event, and to work for emission-cutting solutions within their local and national communities.
At the heart of the project is a commitment to climate justice based on recognition that those least to blame for global heating, such as people in the Global South and black people in the Global North, are being hit hardest by it.
The majority of the 10 countries worst affected by climate-fuelled extreme weather from 1999- 2018, for example, are also on the list of the world's least developed nations.
European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas and Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore are among the speakers who will take part in the Rome training event, which is being organized in cooperation with several groups, including Greenpeace, the WWF, Italian environmental association Legambiente and the Catholic Laudato Sì Movement, named after Pope Francis' environmental protection encyclical.
"Southern Europe and the Mediterranean stand at a critical juncture in addressing global climate change," said Ilaria Quotta, an Italian fashion entrepreneur and member of Climate Reality's Team Italy.
"Civil society can play a crucial role.
"During the training we will consider how to build inclusive, adaptive and resilient communities in urban and rural settings, to meet the challenges of an increasingly hot planet.
"We look forward to seeing you there".
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