This Thanksgiving: Let's Talk Climate!
Six Tips on How to Talk about Climate Change with family and friends
As a former middle school English teacher, I taught my students to wield their words, punctuation marks, and literary conventions as a powerful means to connect with people, convey important ideas, and make a difference in whatever career path they chose.
Fast forward two decades, and I still revere the power of the spoken and written word in my day-to-day work enacting community-based climate solutions here at C3. My colleagues know that I’m a diehard fan of the Oxford comma, will agonize over the use of just the right word, and rant about the overuse of the exclamation point!
Why? Because our words matter. Words have the power to change hearts and minds. And our words can spur the action that we need to turn the tide on climate.
Which is why I’m asking you— teachers, bus drivers, financial planners, social activists, nurses, business owners, and engineers among us — to talk climate around the Thanksgiving table this year!
Before you hold up your hand in refusal, hear me out.
The go-to source for effective climate opinion research, Yale Climate Opinion Maps, tells us that 64% of Americans say they never or rarely talk about climate change. Yet, we know that Americans are most willing to sign a petition or attend a public meeting about climate change when someone they like and respect asks them to do so. Additionally, people who discuss global warming with family and friends are more likely to rank climate change as a top voting issue. If we want to make a difference, we need to start having more conversations about climate.
Now you may be thinking, “Who wants to ruin a perfectly good meal and a long-standing American tradition with a contentious topic like climate change?” Or, “You haven’t met (fill-in-the-blank family member)!” I’m here to tell you, it’s possible, important, and rewarding to have these conversations.
Here are my six tips with some sample scripts:
Find Common Ground
Whether we agree or not with people on most political issues, climate change marches on, affecting people’s daily lives and livelihoods across the globe. Therefore, let’s enter the conversation on values we share. We can all agree that everyone should be able to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and be free of harmful pollution to live and thrive. We all want a healthy future for our children and grandchildren. Another shared value: spending time with family and friends in a beautiful natural setting like the mountains or the beach or even city parks that are worth protecting.
Sample Script [During a Family/Friend walk in nature]: This trail is so beautiful! Green space is so important for us to preserve for future generations and is also a viable climate solution. Trees and plants play such a key role in keeping our air clean. Did you hear that Ethiopia planted 1 million trees for the World Record of trees planted in a 12-hour period?! So cool!
Meet People Where They Are
This is our mantra at C3. We want everyone to see their role in climate solutions. So I encourage you to do a lot of listening and learning, and then, I believe, you will find a way in.
Sample Script [CNN showing an extreme weather event] Your relative: “That is just alarmist. This area has always seen big storms — I remember the hurricane that came through in the 70s.” You: “Is the weather changing where you live?” LISTEN to response. “Did you know there’s an interactive map where you can see the temperature change of the place you were born if the climate continues to be affected by human activity. Let’s look at it together! ”
Tell a Story
Marketing expert and cultural influencer Seth Godin says, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” Stories are a great way into climate conversations because our brains are hardwired to listen and understand them. Tell the story of a surprising announcement you heard about a business’ commitment to climate emissions reductions; or a community tree-planting effort to reduce the effects of extreme heat. It’s hard to argue over actions like these that are making a difference.
Sample Script [In the kitchen while preparing dinner]: “Have you seen the climate justice mural on Rose Hill Drive? It was a super cool collaboration that C3 did with kids in Charlottesville, the Bridge PAI, Boys and Girls Club, and other groups. It shows some of the individuals and species that will be impacted. I didn’t realize that our Virginia state tree the Dogwood will be in peril if we don’t make some big changes, and I love the Dogwoods!”
Steer Clear of Polarizing Language
According to marketing research by Potential Energy, polarizing terms like “Big Oil” can create backlash and cause audience members to dismiss the message as “alarmist” or having a political slant, and therefore believe it’s not valid. On the other hand, using a broader term like “polluters” makes audiences more receptive. Not surprisingly, social science research also indicates that finger pointing and blaming do not spur action. Accountability, on the other hand, is a message audiences can get behind.
Sample Script:
DON’T Say: “Big Oil companies are ruining our planet and must be stopped!”
DO Say: “Companies that pollute should be held accountable for their actions.”
Another good point made by Kate Yoder in her 2018 article for Grist entitled War of Words is that the use of phrases such as “fight climate change” or “mobilize against global warming,” may feed into a war mentality that is counterproductive and distracting us from the true community-building work at hand. Charles Eisenstein, author of Climate: A New Story (which I highly recommend) also affirms this.
Be Authentic by Speaking from Your Heart
I credit my mom for teaching me this one, “You can’t go wrong if you’re speaking from the heart.” People might not agree with you, but you can rest in knowing that you’ve been true to yourself. In Science Friday’s podcast, The Climate is Changing, But Can We? Matthew Goldberg, a researcher at the Yale Project on Climate Communication, reminds us that friends and family are credible and influential messengers.
Share the struggles with a sustainable behavior that you’ve been working to implement. In sharing, you could build a connection that helps reinforce the action. For me it took years and many nudges from friends before I became a regular composter at home.
Sample Script [Clearing the Thanksgiving table]: ”For the longest time I couldn’t figure out a way to compost that was manageable. And then a friend of mine told me to freeze the food scraps in compostable bags. It’s easy and doesn’t stink!”
Put Solutions and Hope at the Center.
Too many of us feel overwhelmed by climate change and believe that our actions don’t really make a difference. At C3, we see every day how individual actions can have a big impact. We have the power to turn the tide on climate change. So, emphasize your belief that when we come together, we can make a difference and “save the planet.”
Sample Script [If you’re traveling outside of Virginia. After your relative says something gloomy about climate change]: I’m proud to say that Virginia is leading the transition to clean energy with new solar and off-shore wind projects! Last month VA announced that Siemens will build the largest off-shore wind project in the United States, 25 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach — creating over 300 jobs. Let’s toast to clean energy.
Or [At the Thanksgiving table]: As a family we can all can do something to help our environment. This group I follow, C3, has a website that gives you over 60 actions you can take. It shows you exactly how much money you can save and how the action can make a difference in lowering your individual impact.
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You don’t need to rely on climate scientists or the extreme weather news to be the messenger. YOU, my friend, are the best messenger in your circle. Just remember to keep it positive, productive, and real. I hope you feel ready to muster your climate courage and serve up a loving home-cooked plate of climate conversations to your friends and family this Thanksgiving. It’s one important way we can all make a difference!
For more reading, here are some of my favorite resources below.
Helpful Resources for How to Talk about Climate Change
“Americans on Climate Change: A Look at Americans’ Views on Climate Science and Policy.” Climate Chat. November 15, 2021.
Yale Climate Opinion Maps 2020
(if you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend feeding your inner geek by checking it out!)
Yale Climate Opinion Maps 2020. October 19, 2021.
The Power of Social Impact Storytelling
Brittany Manchester. “The Power of Social-Impact Storytelling.” March 4, 2021.
The Science Behind Storytelling
Carl Alviani. “The Science Behind Storytelling.” October 11, 2018.
Kate Yoder. “War of Words.” December 15, 2018.
Charles Eisenstein. Climate: A New Story. 2018.
Climate is Changing, But Can We?
Fun fact from the research and for any adolescent-age daughters who may be reading this, adolescent daughters can have influence over their middle-aged dads!
Science Friday. “The Climate is Changing-- But Can We?” July 10, 2020.
Brittany Bloodhart, Janet K. Swim, Elaine Dicco. “Be Worried, be VERY Worried: Preferences for and Impacts of Negative Emotional Climate Change Communication.” January 17, 2019.
Creative Climate Communications by Maxwell Boycoff
Maxwell Boykoff. Creative (Climate) Communications: Productive Pathways for Science, Policy and Society. August 2019.
EcoAmerica: Let’s Talk Climate!
Jennifer Giordano. EcoAmerica’s Webcast Series: “LET’S TALK CLIMATE.” May 26, 2020.
Dr. Katherine Kayhoe - How to Talk About Climate Change
This is a great two-minute pep talk for you! “Dr. Katharine Kayhoe- How to Talk About Climate Change.” Youtube, uploaded November 16, 2021.