Hi John,
On February 28, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its latest climate report. I know the news has been difficult to read with everything else going on. Catastrophic impacts, tipping points, climate breakdown. It’s hard to comprehend, but it’s not the full picture.
There is another, even more powerful story out there: ours. That’s the story that’s going to inspire action.
Our movement is celebrating victories against fossil fuels and building a more just, sustainable future every day. And to keep winning, we need to build this movement.
One of the most powerful things you can do in the fight for a safe and livable future is talk to your friends and loved ones. Every conversation could inspire another person to join our fight against the fossil fuel industry.
We’ve put together some resources for having climate conversations here.
It’s easy to get started. Here are a few tips:
1. Find your audience
While you aren’t likely going to turn a climate change denier into a climate activist, the chances are you already know people who care. Perhaps a family member made a passing comment about extreme weather in the news, or has mentioned their new plan to bike to work.
Whatever it is, see if you can strike up a conversation about it.
2. Listen.
You might have read all the news stories, maybe even the whole IPCC report. But not everyone will. So it’s important to meet them where they are.
Ask your friends and family questions about their own experiences of climate change. Focus on careful listening in your conversations and offer a chance for them to channel what they feel into something powerful, if they want to.1
3. Speak to lived experiences.
As tempting as it is to launch into all the facts mentioned in the new report, these things can feel far removed from people’s lives. People are motivated by stories and emotion rather than facts.2
A better way to engage someone is to speak about what climate impacts you and they are experiencing directly. Perhaps it’s the way seasons aren’t the same or the more frequent flooding, droughts, or wildfires. Whenever it is, root it in things that they see as familiar.
So use your story to talk about climate change. Think about sharing when you first became concerned about climate change, or why you took action.3 Sharing this will help you connect deeply with whoever you are talking with.
4. Give them hope and turn fear into solidarity and action.
If you’ve had some successful conversations, great! Now is the time to offer hope. Remind the person you are talking with about the victories that are possible when we come together.
This IPCC report proves the cause of the problem: fossil fuels did this. But there is also good news: we know precisely how to reclaim our futures from the fossil fuel industry: by pushing financial institutions to cut off funding, and closing the doors for Big Oil.
Take the Fossil Free Federal Reserve campaign, for example: because of the strength of our grassroots movement, we’ve been able to push President Biden to nominate climate leaders to the Federal Reserve. Now, we have the chance to push the Fed to hold the worst contributors and funders of the climate crisis accountable. </p
Try to get them to commit to a follow-up action. Let them know they can get involved t by joining our movement, or you could offer to take them to an event near you.
Once you have your conversations, we want to hear how they go. If you can, please take a moment to complete our quick survey and let us know which of these strategies you found helpful. We read every single response we receive.
Thanks for stepping up to discuss the recent climate news. Together, this is how we build a fair, sustainable, fossil-free future.
Onwards,
Ellie for the 350.org team
1 - Yale Climate Connections
2 - The New York Times
3 - Climate Outreach
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