If you’re feeling especially anxious about the climate this summer, one of the best ways to address that anxiety is to take action. These are individual actions adapted from climate scientist Dr. Katherine Hayhoe which all aim to amplify impact beyond yourself. Commit to one thing that you have the capacity for where you are in your life right now, and let me know how it goes!
1. Talk about climate
Friends and family have a huge influence on individuals’ opinions and actions, and this step is using that power to activate your network. Research shows that talking about climate with friends and family does increase people’s acceptance of the science. It also can inspire them to take action, give space to discuss climate anxiety, and generally bring them into the movement. Climate scientist Dr. Katherine Hayhoe explains in this podcast how the discussions she has had with unlikely climate supporters have brought them around to the movement, and here’s another episode on tips for having those conversations from a conservative climate activist. While posting on social media might not be the most effective action, if that’s all the capacity you have right now, it still helps create a social tipping point by increasing the visibility of the issue.
2. Join an action group
Climate, while a global problem, has local solutions. Finding a local group to get involved with can help you find a local issue that you can make tangible change with, like campaigning for a city climate action plan, helping pro-environment candidates get elected to city government, helping maintain a local nature reserve or park, or volunteering with a community garden. Nonprofit 350 has local chapters, as does Extinction Rebellion and Sierra Club if you need a place to start looking. You could also check out your state’s Department of Natural Resources for volunteering with the state park system. Finally, I’ll always recommend Field Team 6 for helping to get out the vote by writing postcards to voters, texting voters, or door knocking to get pro-environmental candidates elected.
3. Move your money out of fossil fuels
Most banks and investment funds are still investing billions in fossil fuels (e.g. Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America), which means that your money is actively funding climate change. Moving your savings account and retirement/investment accounts to institutions or funds that don’t invest in fossil fuels is an effective step to send a signal both to the market and actively take away money from fossil fuels. Plus, none of your investments will be exposed to the stranded asset risk that fossil fuels ultimately are. Bank for Good has a list of sustainable banks and credit cards. Don’t Look Up also has a page of resources. Your retirement account likely has multiple potential funds for you to invest in without moving institutions - it might just involve digging around on the website or making a phone call.
4. Get the organizations you’re involved in to do better
Does your workplace or educational institution still have styrofoam coffee cups and no recycling bin? Do they have a carbon neutrality, net zero, or other environmental goals? Are they designing products or services with sustainability as a design criteria? Are they procuring from sustainable and ethical suppliers? You as an employee have a powerful voice in how your organization is run. Consider joining or founding an employee group for sustainability like I did when I worked at Medtronic to help steer your company towards more sustainable business practices, or advocating for small changes in how your office is run. Project Drawdown has a guide, and this podcast episode talks about how employees at Amazon pushed for sustainability.
5. Hold your politicians accountable
Calling your representatives is actually one of the more effective things you can do to influence government policy between elections. Your elected representatives do use the calls and emails they receive to judge what issues are important (and what will get them reelected). This website will give you a script and the numbers of your representatives to make it easy! And if you’re wondering what exactly state or federal government could even do for the climate at this point to give them a specific ask, there’s SO many options, like the SEC’s proposed rules on climate risk disclosure for businesses , or a bipartisan trade policy to tax imported goods with high emissions. Check out federal, state, and local climate policy solutions from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
6. Reduce your personal footprint - but bring others along too
There are several steps you can take that do have a major effect on your carbon footprint, such as not wasting food, eating fewer animal products, and buying less new stuff. But all of that will be more effective if you can bring other people along with you! Additionally, now is a great time to de-fossil-fuel your life thanks to the multiple tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year. You can get hundreds or thousands of dollars to switch from a gas to electric stove (which not only helps the climate but also your health), switch from a furnace to a heat pump, install electric appliances, improve the insulation on your home, put up solar panels, or purchase an EV (White House info here, or Rewiring America guide here). Your state might have additional subsidies. If you don’t own a home, let the people in your life that do own homes know!