005: The Most Important and Easiest Climate Action You Can Take

Time-stamped notes: [1:00] Taboo subjects not only restrain discussions, but they constrict solutions too [1:30] All of us can have more conversations about climate action, and that could be the most important climate action we can take. [2:00] Climate Change in the American Mind report from Yale and George Mason Universities [2:35] 70% of Americans think global warming is happening [2:50] 58% believe that global warming is caused in part by human activities [3:05] Only 15% of Americans understand the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. [3:20] We can have more conversations to increase that number. [3:35] 62% of Americans are at least somewhat worried about global warming. [3:45] 62% are interested, 45% feel helpless, 41% feel hopeful [4:00] 61% say global warming is affecting the weather in the U.S. right now [4:05] 41% say they’ve personally experienced the effects of global warming [4:15] 71% think global warming will harm future generations [4:20] 63% feel global warming is important to them personally [4:30] So, the majority of American adults feel it’s important. You’d think people would be talking about it, but no :-( [5:10] Only 35% American adults say they discuss global warming with family and friends “often” or “occasionally”. More say they “rarely” or “never” discuss it (65%). [5:30] One in three don’t talk about it because “it never comes up”. [5:45] Spiral of silence: We don’t talk about it because it never comes up. [6:20] Only four in ten Americans (43%) say they hear about global warming in the media at least once a month [6:30] In the U.S. federal administration, we have people proactively deleting mention of climate change. [7:00] As individuals, the place we need to start working is having conversation to change hearts and minds. [7:20] When I drive for Uber, I find ways to talk about climate change through hurricanes, wildfires or changes since youth. [8:00] Let’s work together on ways to have more conversations. Please leave a comment or question. Resources: Climate Change in the American Mind This report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey – Climate Change in the American Mind – conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (climatecommunication.yale.edu) and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication (climatechangecommunication.org), Interview dates: March 7 – 24, 2018. Interviews: 1,278 Adults (18+). Average margin of error +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-march-2018/ Is There a Climate “Spiral of Silence” in America? Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, September 23, 2016 http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-spiral-silence-america/ The most important thing you can do to fight global warming: End the climate "spiral of silence." Joe Romm, Apr 19, 2018 https://thinkprogress.org/the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-fight-global-warming-b0cbe1fdf775/ How Much Has ‘Climate Change’ Been Scrubbed From Federal Websites? A Lot. Coral Davenport, Jan. 10, 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/climate/climate-change-trump.html Thank you for listening! Discover how to launch and grow a green team in your community. Suggest a topic, get the free Green Tea