In the wake of the heatwaves and bushfires down the length of the east coast of Australia and with choking smoke for weeks on end, climate change has gone from something many people intellectually understood was a problem to something that is felt viscerally.
However many people they have no experience of where to start to do something about it. At our Climate Action for Beginners workshops we have broken it down to the 5Cs. These are five effective actions you can take that research says are important and effective.
1. Community
Building community is the answer to so many of society's problems: social isolation; drug addiction; failing democracy; echo chambers; overconsumption; vulnerable people dying in disasters and happiness itself. Building community is also part of building a sustainable low carbon society that has replaced owning things with valuing relationships. We build community when we intentionally make sure we know our neighbours, when we join in community events and when we join community groups. They don't have to be climate action groups. By joining a weaving/patchwork group AND a sporting group you become the linchpin connecting two different groups of people. Which of your neighbours would be unable to get away in a disaster? Know who they are and include them in your plan.
2. Care
We need to take care of ourselves, our friends and our community. We need to take care of the nature around us. We have to see the humanity of all of us, even the people we don't like or who disagree with us. You see this is the bushfire hit areas with people looking out for each other and for strangers. By thinking about what it is that you care about most you can weigh up decisions. When I consider my fear of public speaking versus my fear for my six year old granddaughter's future, then I'll do the public speaking.
3. Conversation
Surprisingly conversations are incredibly powerful, more powerful than expert climate scientists speaking about the facts they have spend years researching. People respond to emotions and common values. So YOU, a person they already know and respect speaking about climate change and how it makes you feel is really effective. The more ordinary and mainstream you feel you are the more powerful what you say is to your family and friends. You don't have to have lots of scientific facts just say how it makes you feel. Just a sentence will do. When people mention conspiracy theories just ask "How does that work?" .
Then they will see the gaps themselves later. If you are an older person talking about climate change is really important because it is our peers who have been lied to by Murdoch media who are holding us back.
4. Collaboration
Once you start building community, caring about others and having conversations you will find other people with whom you have something in common and a project you can work on together. Find those people and use your strengths to work on something that matters to you. Working on climate change with other people improves your mental health and is also although we don't say it as much as we should, lots of fun.
5. Change
You can use this Global footprint calculator as a tool to work out effective individual action. Work out how many Earths your current lifestyle is and then change various parameters to see how effective different actions are . But what I want you to notice is the things that are difficult to change. This is a sign that there are systemic problems that need to be solved. If lack of footpaths stop you walking to the shops, you need to campaign to get bike paths from your council. If everything is covered in plastic then demand the corporations do better. We cannot just individually change our lifestyles we must fight for systemic change at the same time. Using power would not be a problem if it was all renewable. Look for groups and activities already happening in your area, trust me they will be there and you don't have to do climate action from scratch. What are your strengths? Use them to help you decide the course of action that is right for you. Love gardening-grow food, love people-build community etc.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
However many people they have no experience of where to start to do something about it. At our Climate Action for Beginners workshops we have broken it down to the 5Cs. These are five effective actions you can take that research says are important and effective.
1. Community
Building community is the answer to so many of society's problems: social isolation; drug addiction; failing democracy; echo chambers; overconsumption; vulnerable people dying in disasters and happiness itself. Building community is also part of building a sustainable low carbon society that has replaced owning things with valuing relationships. We build community when we intentionally make sure we know our neighbours, when we join in community events and when we join community groups. They don't have to be climate action groups. By joining a weaving/patchwork group AND a sporting group you become the linchpin connecting two different groups of people. Which of your neighbours would be unable to get away in a disaster? Know who they are and include them in your plan.
2. Care
We need to take care of ourselves, our friends and our community. We need to take care of the nature around us. We have to see the humanity of all of us, even the people we don't like or who disagree with us. You see this is the bushfire hit areas with people looking out for each other and for strangers. By thinking about what it is that you care about most you can weigh up decisions. When I consider my fear of public speaking versus my fear for my six year old granddaughter's future, then I'll do the public speaking.
3. Conversation
Surprisingly conversations are incredibly powerful, more powerful than expert climate scientists speaking about the facts they have spend years researching. People respond to emotions and common values. So YOU, a person they already know and respect speaking about climate change and how it makes you feel is really effective. The more ordinary and mainstream you feel you are the more powerful what you say is to your family and friends. You don't have to have lots of scientific facts just say how it makes you feel. Just a sentence will do. When people mention conspiracy theories just ask "How does that work?" .
Then they will see the gaps themselves later. If you are an older person talking about climate change is really important because it is our peers who have been lied to by Murdoch media who are holding us back.
4. Collaboration
Once you start building community, caring about others and having conversations you will find other people with whom you have something in common and a project you can work on together. Find those people and use your strengths to work on something that matters to you. Working on climate change with other people improves your mental health and is also although we don't say it as much as we should, lots of fun.
5. Change
You can use this Global footprint calculator as a tool to work out effective individual action. Work out how many Earths your current lifestyle is and then change various parameters to see how effective different actions are . But what I want you to notice is the things that are difficult to change. This is a sign that there are systemic problems that need to be solved. If lack of footpaths stop you walking to the shops, you need to campaign to get bike paths from your council. If everything is covered in plastic then demand the corporations do better. We cannot just individually change our lifestyles we must fight for systemic change at the same time. Using power would not be a problem if it was all renewable. Look for groups and activities already happening in your area, trust me they will be there and you don't have to do climate action from scratch. What are your strengths? Use them to help you decide the course of action that is right for you. Love gardening-grow food, love people-build community etc.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
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