Many climate scientists note that talking about climate is one of the best things we can do to help deal with climate change. Talking about it brings it in the open, helps people think of solutions, think about what they can do themselves, think about talking about resilience planning with their city/county council, state and federal officials. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, likes to talk about climate with everyone: family, friends, cabdrivers and other people she meets in everyday life.
This article written by the former mayor of Charlotte, NC, about one of Hayhoe’s talks explains how climate is a threat multiplier – it doesn’t cause more storms, it makes existing storms worse. It doesn’t cause more droughts, it makes droughts more severe.
And the communities most affected are often communities of color, low income communities, and rural communities – often the same communities that are least able to recover from disasters. We need to use resources in a just manner.
At the end of the article, EcoAmerica has links on helpful guides they have about how to talk about climate: Communities and Climate, Health and Climate, Faith and Climate.
Read the blog, and check out the resources on talking about climate: https://pathtopositive.org/bringing-climate-into-our-conversations/
