Talk About Climate

I hate talking to other people about climate change.  I’d rather talk about almost anything else.  And I don’t think I’m alone in that.  How weird is it to live in this moment of existential threat, with this looming cloud in the room, so scary, so pervasive…. and to find that it’s almost impossible to bring it up.  Even when I organize protests, or participate in protests, I find it hard to want to talk to people about this issue.  My kids have the book “Magic School Bus: the Climate Challenge” and honestly, I hate reading it to them.  One of the worst feelings is to look into the eyes of those who will come after you, and admit to them that you fail them in a million small ways every day.

So now that I’ve admitted how much I dislike having to talk about climate change, I will tell you that I try to do it every day anyway. Sometimes with humor, sometimes on social media, sometimes one-on-one, I try to be real with people about what I know.  Some days I feel stronger in my ability to do this, some days I feel weaker.  Some nights I lie awake and worry, and some nights I’m able to take in the sweep of life history, and see that cataclysmic change has always been part of the history of life.

The thing that would make it easier to talk about climate change would be if other people were willing to talk about it more.  Just in small ways, for example: “I thought about flying to visit both sides of my family for the holidays, but I didn’t because I’m worried about how burning that much jet engine fuel will negatively impact my kids’ future.”  or “I need to set aside some time to research electric heat pump technology, so I can see if it’s possible to get my house free of natural gas and its problem with methane emissions.”

This, in the end, is what THEY, (the oil companies, the Trump Administration, the plastic producers, the big box retailers, the airline industry, Big Ag, and so on) are afraid of. They’re so afraid, that they tried to softball the release of the very scary 4th National Climate Change Assessment Part II by dropping it on Black Friday at 2pm, while we were shopping, taking tryptophan-induced naps, playing with kids, hanging Christmas lights, etc. etc.  They are afraid because they know that we love our kids enough to change, and that the details of this report put a price tag on the impacts of climate change in all of our lifetimes.  They are terrified of us talking.

So let’s talk.  And by talking we will make change.  And at least, we can look our kids in the eye and at least say that we tried to be honest.

#talkaboutclimate #letstalkclimatechange