Take Heart by Taking Action - Some Handy Climate Actions

It is not a hyperbole to state that the results of the election sent me into a tail spin. I had presumed that VP Harris would win by a landslide. I was gobsmacked to learn how wrong I was and I spiraled down into a dark and dank depression. I despaired about the myriad dangers to the environment and our society. After a couple of weeks of wallowing in this pit, I listened to Harris’ concession speech. It jolted me: “This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.” https://time.com/7173617/kamala-harris-concession-speech-full-transcript/ She is right of course. We must fight back precisely because Trump’s disinformation and dismantling plans are so frightening. We must remember that simply fighting to improve the state of our society - improves the state of our society. We build community and good will. We learn that others care. We find that much is being done. We discover ways to address problems. So whatever your greatest anxiety about humanity’s future - I entreat you to take action about it. It will make you feel better and it will improve our world.

My greatest anxiety is once again the climate crisis because the American people have chosen a man to lead our country who has threatened to remove us from the Paris Agreement, to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and to “Drill, baby, drill”. Terrifying. But perhaps not quite as terrifying as it might first appear. Note that Trump’s anti-climate actions will be just another step in the one-step-back-two-steps-forward dance of climate stabilization. Even before this election, we were not meeting our Paris Agreement emission reduction or financing targets (step back). But each year, international goals for carbon reduction and financing have gotten stronger (step forward). The renewable energy market is exploding (step forward), but the window to keep warming below 1.5 degrees C is closing (step back). And even though Trump will slow our journey towards stabilization, he will not be able to stop the groundswell of climate action (racing forward). Let’s explore some of these momentous climate action juggernauts.

Of the 197 countries on our beautiful planet, 194 have ratified the Paris Agreement - aiming to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius and ideally below 1.5 degrees of warming. Those that haven’t ratified the agreement? Iran, Yemen, and Libya. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/08/13/countries-yet-ratify-paris-agreement/ The US is likely to join that list. But even if we do so as a national government, we are not doing so as a people. 24 state governors, representing 57% of the US’ economy, have committed their states to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and net zero emissions by 2050. “America is All In” is a further coalition of 361 local governments, 428 higher education institutions, 2964 businesses, 13 Tribal Nations, 55 health care organizations 173 investors, 837 faith groups, 155 cultural institutions in the US who have committed to cutting emissions by at least 50% by 2030, a crucial milestone.

Over 10,000 companies, representing more than 1/3 of the global economy, have committed to or already met carbon reduction targets. Half of the world’s largest 2,000 companies have set net-zero targets. Taken together these targets represent 56% of our 2021 emissions. The authors who calculated these numbers believe that the flood of companies setting serious targets is reaching a tipping point and soon most companies will have net zero targets.

In the utilities world, renewables have become the default choice for new energy projects - accounting for 75% of new power capacity in the US last year and 90% globally. Forbes lists 3 reasons the renewables explosion in the US is not likely to falter under Trump. 1. Clean energy is cheaper to produce, and prices keep dropping. Investments in solar surpassed that of oil in 2023 for the first time. Red states have gotten three times as much federal funding in clean energy and manufacturing than blue states causing republican representatives to quietly defend clean energy initiatives. Financially, clean energy is the clear winner. 2. Clean energy tech is making leaps and bounds and may well become scalable and efficient on the household scale - something fossil fuels have not been able to achieve. The innovative and flexible nature of renewables favors them in the market place. 3. The EU has set stringent regulations on de-carbonization and clean energy in their supply chains. This is rippling out to global markets and across sectors. The US and other countries will not want to be left behind.

Perhaps these facts make you feel global warming is under control. Or perhaps you feel the problem is too big for you to make an impact. But make no mistake - we are in a crisis. We are still increasing our global carbon emissions - we emitted more carbon in 2023 than ever before, nearly 2% more than in 2022. Although many countries are reducing their emissions (the US’ has reduced its emissions by 21% since 2000 while the UK and much of Europe have reduced their emissions by 40-50% in this time) , emissions are rising rapidly in China and other developing nations. We desperately need to help them do so in a carbon neutral way. And we still need to address our own emissions, US citizens have the 16th highest per capita emissions, far above net zero.

We need governments, developers, business, community leaders, and citizens to all continue to push for carbon reduction. But remember it is citizens who are at the forefront pushing these actions forward. As consumers we put pressure on business, tech, and supply chains to produce long lasting, repairable, and recyclable, low carbon options. As citizens we can vote and push our representatives to support continued national and massively ramped up international climate action. And as neighbors we impact social norms, learn from one another, and build resilience. The United Nations no less has called on all of us to do what we can to reduce carbon emissions, as they put it “It is all hands on deck”. We are all responsible for the choices we make. We have choices everyday about whether our actions will make the world safer or more threatening for those who live near forest fire areas, or in the path of hurricanes, or near sea level, or who like to eat food. Each choice we make (or ignore) impacts other people and other creatures today and into the future.

So lets get down to it. How can you or I, as individuals, reduce carbon emissions? I’ve mapped actions we can take onto the fingers of a hand so I can roll them out as needed. I call this my list of “Handy Climate Actions.” So if someone claims that they can’t cut down their driving or won’t cut down their meat consumption, this list may help us to guide them to other actions they could take.

1 - Lifestyle Choices - The Thumb.

Lifestyle choices is what everyone thinks of when we talk about individual responsibility for reducing emissions and includes actions like driving less and turning down the heat. Reducing carbon via lifestyle choices mostly comes down to reducing consumption - less energy, fewer new appliances and clothes, less food miles, and eating lower down on the food chain. But we can reframe most of these less-of-something-actions as positive choices that improve our physical health, mental well being, and money savers. Self propelled transport, like walking and biking, is far healthier than driving, vegetarian meals are better for our waist line and our cholesterol levels, buying used is less expensive, decluttering reduces stress. Some carbon friendly lifestyle choices are simple swaps - like getting veg from a community supported agriculture scheme, or buying an electric car. Other swaps, like installing geothermal heating and cooling, require more money upfront but cost less in the long run. You may like to play around with an online calculator to figure out which lifestyle choices could most effectively reduce your carbon emissions.

2 - Political Action - The Index Finger.

Uncle Sam want you … to be politically engaged. Vote, march, call your representatives, support NGO watchdogs. Let the political sphere know that you are paying attention and that you care. Many groups would welcome your monetary donations or your time to help them campaign for better environmental protection. The Sierra Club will send you alerts and all the info you need to contact your representatives regarding upcoming bills. The Natural Resources Defense Council aims to shape and monitor environmentally friendly policies around the world. Greenpeace organizes peaceful protests and creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions. The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzes problems and solutions, exposes bogus studies and statements, and mobilizes activists to press for specific positive changes. These are just a few - pick your flavor and consider getting involved. Charity Navigator and Charity Watch rates the impact, accountability, and business practices charities.

3 - Finances - The Middle Finger.

Ah, banks and billionaires. At least some of them are deserving of being represented by the middle finger. But collectively our actions support them. From that Amazon Prime subscription to where our pensions are invested (if we are lucky enough to have one) our financial choices can contribute to the increasingly uneven distribution of wealth and the funding of further habitat destruction. Being conscious about how we spend and how we invest could be a full time job. Perhaps start by thinking about where you spend the most money as this is likely to be your greatest carbon source. When considering investments, including your pension, check out certification databases such as the B Corp Certification Database. B Corp certifies companies if and only if they pass stringent targets for transparency, treatment of employees, and environmental impacts. If you are a part of a large pension scheme, like a teachers pension scheme, you can influence what they invest in. That can be very powerful.

4 - Engagement of Minds - The Ring Finger

Educating our selves, talking with others, giving presentations, writing, and information campaigns all count as engagement. We used to think of such engagement as education but that smacks of “Let me impart my wisdom”. Lecturing, be it to teenagers or the general public, is often ineffective and it often sweeps aside the nuances of dealing with climate change - we have to resolve these problems from all viewpoints. Everyone’s wisdom and needs are important in this battle. Therefore, we will be more effective if we engage with others and start climate conversations by searching for common ground. Then, we can explore impacts and, importantly, solutions together. Catherine Hayhoe, an advocate for talking about climate with everyone, tells the story of one of her readers, Sarah, who decided to approach a climate skeptic relative. Sarah approached her relative not via climate but by telling him about a business idea -covering parking lots with solar panels. The solar panel owners got tax breaks, reduced their energy bills, and sold extra power back to the grid. Her relative jumped on board and in a year had constructed his own parking lot solar farm and convinced two of his friends to do the same.

5 - Community Building - The Pinkie Swear.

Hand shakes, pinkie swears, cross you heart and hope to die. Making promises to friends and deals with neighbors strengthens our community. Strong communities have resilience - for instance recovering from a disaster more quickly. No surprise. If we know that Joan down the street knows how to repair the sewer system, or Lee has extra flour to share, we are more likely to thrive together. Communities can work together to reduce the cost of installing solar panels or geothermal by negotiating cheaper prices for a group of properties or developing a solar power subscription option. Other communities work together to build homes or grow food.

But beyond resiliency and community projects, community norms are perhaps the largest influence on the choices we make. By sharing that we are reducing our carbon footprint, we may just nudge others to do so as well. Perhaps just by being a friendly neighbor, I could reassure a skeptic that scientists aren’t money grubbing people trying to control the world for their own benefit. Maybe they’d decide it would be okay to turn down the heat or buy an electric car. We can support our community, of course, by shopping in it, working in it, studying in it, volunteering in it, walking in it, communing with others in it, advocating for it, and just plain being friendly in it.

When I focus on any one of these areas of activism (Lifestyle, politics, finance, engagement, and community), I tend to become convinced that it is the most important action. But I suppose, these actions are most effective when taken together, not as fingers if you will but as a whole hand. Think of your climate action hands as being active, pointing out stuff, giving, reaching out, connecting, and cradling the precious life that surrounds us. I’ll leave you with one final encouragement - every little bit helps. The difference between a 1.5 degree C warmed world and 2 degree one are dramatic - every temperature increment in between makes a difference. I entreat you to do what you can to reduce your emissions. And, please, don’t despair! We are making progress. And finally (really), don’t forget to spend loads of time enjoying yourself and reveling in the beautiful world around us. Appreciating and enjoying what we have is important work too.

Blessings and Happy New Year