Climate Socials

Meera Naveen
Mar 8
4 min read

Updated: Jun 30

We talk about eating tofu, recycling plastics, making a compost, walking/biking more often, and lots of other 'atomic habits' we can build as we transition to more sustainable lives.

Nonetheless, there's one habit, possibly easier than the ones mentioned above, that can make twice or thrice the impact: talking about climate.

Last weekend I attended a youth climate convergence for the first time, and though it was small, and I didn't get to attend for the entire duration, it felt amazing to just be there, to listen, to talk, even if it was just a little, to those who had similar mindsets on this world crisis.

Guest speakers were talking about environmental racism (a potential topic for a future blog post ;-)) in the U.S and student representatives were talking about their climate organizations and sharing the work they had been doing.

By the end, I was able to put my email to sign up for interest in a sustainability committee, got to know some new information about climate issues near where I live, and talk with those around my age who discussed communicating in the future.

That's networking. Simply searching up conferences/convergences/clean-ups online from reputable apps and websites and attending them leads to so many opportunities. It reinforces a community, group-oriented mindset of fighting climate change together, and it's a way to gain valuable information from those with experience in the field. You can exchange emails and numbers that open the gates to a possibility of long-lasting friendship/acquaintance and support for initiatives and outreach for both people.

However, as I was sitting there, I listened as I heard another student representative ask a question about moving forward with her climate club. Her school had strong political views that opposed her club's goals/initiatives, and they were even reporting on the club to the police for what they were doing.

That made me very upset and wonder, why would a school, of all places, report on a club simply raising awareness about a real issue?

The answer is this: there's simply not enough discussion about it.

According to the Nature Conservancy and a Yale study conducted in 2021, at least in the U.S, two-thirds of Americans stayed quiet and barely mentioned climate change in even comfortable environments with closely related people.

Why is that so? Why do people, even those that are the most climate-conscious--- refrain from spreading this necessary awareness? A co-author of the Yale article linked in this post even justified the importance of talking: a conversation about the power of low-carbon electricity led her to "prevent the release of tens of thousands of pounds of carbon pollution during the next 10 years" from switching to an electrified heat pump in her home.

It's because it's intimidating, which is understandable because I struggle with that too.

When scientists talk about the statistics, about the earth's climate going up two degrees, when there are websites that specifically predict with numbers when the end of the earth is going to be, it's all overwhelming and the general public would find it hard to digest, hard to make connections of how that will impact normal, day-to-day life.

It's intimidating because since it's such a huge crisis, someone might feel they don't have enough information to spread awareness, or they're not doing enough on their part to take a leadership role. Or they might spark an argument from trying to discuss or change people's minds.

The key solution to these worries is to start small, and to focus on being relatable. Even though it's tempting to have the power to change the minds of several audiences who deny climate change at once, understand that it takes time.

Start with talking to those who believe in climate change and gather their insights as well as help them if they're looking for advice on ways to increase their impact.

Don't present generic facts. Instead, organize climate "socials" or intimate conversations where people have the option to present their own ideas. Learn and listen from others' stories and get to really know who you're talking to. And when you talk, use words that reflect common concerns they might have; bring it up when a sustainable solution is also cost-effective, and instead of saying 1.5 degrees Celsius, connect it to more storms if the audience lives in a riverside/coastal area. Ask yourself why climate change might matter to that someone you're trying to talk to.

But then, bring some optimism into the discussion. Many times, if you cut through with way too much digression about the negative impacts of CO2 or the increasing wildfires or floods, the audience can feel hopeless about doing enough as well. To avoid this, keep it positive by being aware of their situations and presenting easy lifestyle changes (like turning the light off when not in use) according to them. If you give an example of a clear plan of action of what they could do, starting with easy, baby steps, they're most likely going to adapt that into their lives. With the encouragement and satisfaction from accomplishing that task, they'll look out for more ways. That's better than saying to them to just turn their entire house and car to solar energy, because if in some places it's really expensive they would probably just not do it.

Once you have enough base and enough people as your support system to spread awareness, reach out to those who don't believe in it and follow the same rules. Always remember to understand and listen to people's backgrounds and their differences. Adjust your talk to what they're concerned about and other values they might have.

All in all, communication is key to working together to combat climate change. And with the right strategies and words, you can impact hundreds of people to make sustainable choices instead of just one or two.