WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE by Tom Williams
According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, nearly 6 out of 10 Americans now consider themselves either “alarmed” or “concerned” about global warming, and the number of folks in the “alarmed” category (31 percent) has tripled between 2014 and 2020. So, more folks are concerned and talking about this topic than ever before. Just a decade ago, chances were that if you were an activist seeking to inform your friends on the science, impacts, and action required to reverse climate change, you could expect to get into an argument. Today, far more people are concerned about climate change and want to talk about it.
COVER STORY
The first thing to know about talking about climate change is this: Actually talk about it! And remember that “talking” is a two-way street that includes listening as well. Experts on communicating about this thorny topic always advise that open-minded, informative discussion with lots of questions and answers is the best way to go.
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The second thing to know about this complicated topic is that just discussing what you are doing to react to climate change does a great deal to motivate others to take action themselves. For instance, folks are more likely to look at installing solar panels on their house, buying an electric vehicle, writing to their reps in Congress or senators, or joining in activism if they know their friends and family are doing the same thing. So talking about taking action yourself is a great way to inspire others to do the same. The third thing to know is what to talk about. If your goal is to inspire others to take action, it is worth picking topics you are comfortable with. If your goal is to learn more, it helps to figure out what you want to learn more about. The three big topics in response to climate change right now are "mitigation," "adaption," and "resiliency." There is a bit
of crossover between these topics, so it is worth providing more detail. Mitigation is about reducing the primary cause of climate change—emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and a wide variety of combustible and noncombustible gases. Mitigation is therefore mostly about switching to non-fossil forms of power—wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, electric vehicles (EVs) and electric heating, AC, and hot water systems fed by low carbon electric generation. Mitigation also comprises better land use and includes measures such as planting more forests and the use of regenerative farming techniques. Adaptation is about adjusting to the impacts of climate change—which include drought, wildfires, sea level rise, and extreme weather—but also changing our lifestyles and buying decisions to deal with the future impacts of a low-carbon economy. There is a lot of overlap between adaptation and resilience; however, adapting tends to be more about personal choices. Courses of action you could take to adapt to the impact of climate change include installing rooftop solar, converting to heat pump heating and cooling, investing in an EV and home vehicle chargers, and switching to more of a plant-based diet. Resiliency refers to the defensive measures taken to reduce the economic impacts of climate change—building sea walls to deal with sea level rises, flood management projects, water conservation and its impacts on agriculture, and ensuring that building codes help protect property. If you are living in South Florida, public investment in projects to defend communities against sea level rise is a big topic. If you are living in California, wildfire resiliency and water conservation are big topics. If you are living in Ohio, the fact that U.S. Department of Agriculture growing zones have shifted
