How to Inspire More Conversations about Climate Change

Why don’t more people talk about climate change – despite this summer’s record-breaking heat?

Today’s article in the NYT’s newsletter, Climate Forward, said that politics is a big part of it. Many people fear getting into arguments about climate change. They don’t realize most Americans agree that it is a serious issue. And they’re understandably intimidated by the complexity of it all.

But there is another big factor at play, as well.

Namely, climate change – at least, as we talk about it now – is a conversation killer. I learned this first-hand as a result of raising the topic with hundreds of people in recent years. I raised it at parties, picnics, and the sidelines of soccer games. And time after time, a terribly awkward silence followed.

For a climate conversation to go somewhere, there has to be something we say after agreeing it’s a problem. We have to have helpful, hopeful things to say. Things like:

• If you invest in the stock market, you can stop investing in fossil fuels.

• If you have the option, transition to renewable energy.

• If your employer is not a climate leader, let them know climate action is important to you.

• If your political representative fails to support climate action, make sure they fail to get your vote.

• If your child is worried (as many are,) get involved in a local action focused on reducing greenhouse gases or creating a resilient community.

This is where political energy comes from. And growing political energy—in the face of recent political setbacks – is more important than ever. It’s the face of inspired climate leadership.