Climate Action Guide
How to Find Your Climate Story
We all have one, and identifying yours is the first step in becoming an advocate for climate action.
Illustration: Thoka Maer
We are facing a climate crisis of epic proportion—one that threatens life on Earth as we know it. For people and birds to have any chance of adapting, the response needs to be no less massive. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start at home. Personal actions reduce our own contributions to climate change, sometimes significantly. Just as important, they have a ripple effect: When people see others in their community taking action, they are much more likely to do so themselves. The technical term for this is “social norm,” but let’s just call it doing your part to help save the world.
We all have one, and identifying yours is the first step in becoming an advocate for climate action.
Spread climate solutions by taking visible actions in your community.
Easy tips for getting from A to B without emitting so much C.
—Elizabeth Sorrell, Audubon's vice president of engagement, and a 2018 Chevy Volt owner
Number of gallons of gas each person would save by swapping beans for a five-ounce steak one day a week for a year. Or, to put another way, that's a five percent decrease in a typical home’s annual electricity use.
BE REALISTIC Once you grasp the urgency of the climate crisis, it’s easy to feel bad about not doing more. "Coming from that mindset is natural and understandable, but it's counterproductive," says climate psychologist Renee Lertzman. We get the most done when we have compassion for ourselves, accept our shortcomings, and view each day as a chance to live closer to our values.
With your own carbon footprint under control, it’s time to level up your impact by encouraging those around you to take climate actions. But where to start? Consider the local communities and spaces where you already have connections and influence—your child’s school, say, or a social hub like a coffee shop. By merely showing up and making your case, you can lead others toward climate-friendly policies and practices. It’s not always easy, but it’s often productive—and rewarding. Along the way, you’ll develop new relationships and skills that will help you become an ace climate advocate.
—Mitra Jalali Nelson, Ward 4 council member in St. Paul, Minnesota, one of 25 cities selected so far for the National League of Cities' Leadership in Community Resilience Program.
Pick Your Newspaper if you want to influence a specific decision maker, choose a paper they read. A local or regional print publication is a good bet.
Get to the Point Make one point in your letter, and make it well. Keep it between 150 and 200 words.
Make It Personal Tell your climate story to emphasize why you care. Include no more than the one fact needed to support your main point.
Don't Hold Back Tell readers what you want to get done or them to do. Be precise and aggressive.
But Don't Be Too Aggressive Do not attack individuals or groups of people. Stick to your point.
Find a Proofreader Before submitting your letter, have a friend or trusted colleague read it for clarity and errors.
Number of years it can take a new building to overcome the climate impacts of its construction. When possible, retrofitting existing buildings—for example, by upgrading HVAC or electrical systems—should be the priority for cities and towns.
STAY FOCUSED People confuse worrying about climate change with taking action, says psychotherapist Rosemary Randall. Getting involved with an organization, like Audubon, can help—it’s easier to make a tangible impact with a group, and that reaffirms your sense of agency. Terror is not a durable motivation. Much healthier: social justice and preservation of the natural world.
Climate change is already causing people to relocate. As more hometowns become inhospitable, yours might be able to help.
Farm-to-table is the buzzword, but too often farm-to-landfill is the reality.
By working with nature, not against it, we can mitigate climate disasters while creating vital habitat.
Ready to really start making an impact? Good, because now it’s time to tackle the entrenched systems and political stagnation that can greatly contribute to climate change at the state and regional levels. It’s here that we need to advocate for things like fast and innovative grid transformation, forward-thinking climate policies, and institutional reform. There’s no question that driving change is challenging work. The key is recruiting allies and being thoughtful about your strategies and goals. With the right partnerships and planning, you can wield influence that once might have seemed unimaginable.
Number of phone calls needed to make a South Carolina representative "feel like their doors are being blown off," says Tara Spicer, a Republican strategist in the state, which has a medium-size population. Adjust for the size of your state accordingly, pick your issue, and start dialing.
GET OUTSIDE Advocating for major change can be exhausting, so take time to remember what you're saving. Go birding, and go often. You can even turn this breather into an action by joining Audubon’s Climate Watch program, which tracks how climate change affects certain species. “I have a passion for counting birds,” says Leif Anderson, an avid Climate Watch volunteer. “It’s a fun, easy community-science project, and it’s something one person can do.”
—Sara Wrenn, member of the University of North Carolina Asheville's Audubon campus chapter, on attending a lobby day with Audubon North Carolina to advocate for rewewable-energy policy.
These are the gatekeepers to the grid reform we need.
To make a real dent in climate change, we have to go big on renewables—but an outdated power grid is getting in our way.
To broaden your regional impact as a climate advocate, take a cue from these two cases.
Make no mistake: The most important climate action you can take at any level, but especially at the national one, is to vote for political candidates who are ready to take meaningful steps toward curbing carbon emissions and tackling climate change. The second-most important action involves deeper, harder work: supporting a movement that is inclusive of all and representative of those without power. Our path to a greener future must be one in which everybody has a say—most of all those who are already suffering from a warming planet. Climate change is a crisis, but it can also be an opportunity to create a more just world.
The number of countries in which people joined the September 20th Global Climate Strike inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. More than 4 million people are estimated to have participated in the protest worldwide. Don't forget: You are not alone.
PRACTICE PATIENCE Climate denial tends to be rooted in a person's identity or ideology; all the facts in the world won't change their mind, according to atmospheric scientist and communication whiz Katharine Hayhoe. So avoid frustrating arguments. Instead, start with shared values—economic security, or a faith-based sense of stewardship—and discuss how a changing climate puts that common ground at risk. Then explore solutions to protect what you both care about.
—Jay Inslee, governor of Washington and 2019 Democratic candidate for the president of the United States
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