FAQs

    Why is telling awesome climate stories the most important climate action?

    • The stories we tell shape the things we believe.
    • The things we believe shape how we act.
    • The actions we take will determine how hot our planet gets and which species survive.

    So let’s tell better stories!

    What makes a better climate story? 

    Neuroscientists say stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things for a purpose outside themselves often allow us to experience awe. Awe produces all kinds of cool side effects like chemicals in our brains that inspire us to be kind, more thoughtful and act for the common good.

    Awe is the best a human can feel. 

    We can help stabilise the climate and make our communities more resilient by telling awesome stories that lift us up, lift up the people we talk to and lift up the actors in the story. 

    Climate scientists like Katherine Hayhoe are pleading with us to “Talk about it”. 

    Who knows? The person you listen to and share your hopes with could be a politician or a nurse or a parent or a teacher or a janitor or a store clerk – and all of them can make a difference in their own way. 

    Turns out talking about climate in this way makes you an awesome climate hero! 

    Plus it could be fun right? And the worst that could happen is you could make someone happier. 

    Want to learn how? Go to the Trainings page for a course description and bio.

    Sources: 

    Katherine Hahoe TED Talk Katharine Hayhoe: The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it

    Awe by Dacher Keltner https://www.dacherkeltner.com/books/
    Rebecca Solnit ‘If you win the popular imagination, you change the game’: why we need new stories on climate

    But this is a catastrophe! Why not tell the truth?

    You are right. Our changing climate is a catastrophe affecting you right now where you live. And of course it affects some people particularly in the Global South and who live on islands much more than others. And things are going to get worse.

    How much worse is up to us. 

    But even scientists like Guy MacPherson say if we are going to be the last of our species we can at least be the best of our species. So that means taking up the challenge of at least making things less worse.

    That calls for action. But what we have come to call “Doomerism”  makes us crazy and can paralyse us. There is also good evidence that its widespread acceptance on social media is fuelled by Big Oil, Coal and Gas. Other scientists insist that there are more positive ways to interpret the same data relied upon by Guy MacPherson. 

    Yes there is a climate crisis of planetary proportion.  Yes, fights mostly over who can get more oil and therefore cause climate change the fastest, or the impacts themselves, have displaced more than 100 million people. Yes, our climate right here at home is changing and our summer skies are smoky, and flooding is normal. Yes, as Chris Hatch of Canada’s National Observer says (you should get a subscription) just one of the oil majors (Shell)  made more money last year than you would have if you had been paid 20 million dollars a year since Jesus was born.  Yes the impacts cause much more harm to those who have done, and are doing, the least to cause it. And yes – you are right- no government anywhere is doing enough about it to ensure the safety of our futures. 

    But here’s the thing. Not one of us can create a low carbon world on our own. It must be done collectively. And that means we have to talk about it. But who wants to be the doomsayer in the local gathering? Not me! I want to keep my friends! And while we all might feel more comfortable talking inside our bubbles if we want to act collectively we are going to have to reach some of the 50% of us who think it is already too late

    How to do that? Telling better climate stories is the most important thing you can do.

    What other services do you offer?

    • Coaching for participation on a panel or with a group when the topic is climate change. 
    • Moderating panels on climate change; 
    • Building intergenerational understanding and good will;
    • Media advice and help writing op eds and letters to the editor;
    • Advice for feeling better on a down day. (Spoiler alert: Go find some awe.)