Let's talk

 While you and your families (if you're American, that is) sit around or walk along, digesting the feast from Thankful eating...it's a great opportunity to talk about a subject dear to my heart.

Climate change. You knew that was coming I bet.

Here's a nice little TED talk about how it can be done. 

I was involved with a few others in a group we called "Climate Conversations" for a while. We definitely became more educated about our own possibilities, and some of us made big changes...one or more driving hybrid cars now.

A recent international gathering in Brazil (COP30) to discuss and maybe make decisions about climate change was less than successful...though plans are continuing, "Colombia and the Netherlands announced the first International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, to be held in Colombia in April 2026." 

This year marked ten years since the signing of the Paris Agreement and, despite the frustratingly slow pace of the COP meetings, significant progress has been made in the last decade. As I shared two weeks ago, global emissions used to be tracking a scenario that would take the world to 4-5C (7-9F) by the end of the century. But thanks to all the policies enacted and advances in clean energy over the last decade, we’re currently heading towards a world that’s 2.8C (5F) warmer. And if all of the countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions are implemented, the warming will be around 2.4C (4.3F). For more on where things stand post Paris, see these ten graphs.  

For example, the first graph from the NY Times shows:

Global greenhouse gas emissions and expected warming

Source: Climate Action Tracker’s most recent projection and its 2015 projection

But none of the world's biggest emitters — China, the U.S., the European Union, India — have met their Paris promises. And every degree of warming matters.  

NY Times Nov 7, 2025

The following is from Katharine Hayhoe's free newsletter "Talking Climate." 

This COP promised to be the “implementation COP” where countries would figure out how to limit temperature rise to the Paris target of 1-2C.

Much of the last-minute negotiations hinged upon whether the final agreement included a pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels.” 83 countries pushed to have this statement included in the final agreement, supported by a letter organized by the We Mean Business coalition that was signed by over 150 other non-profits, regional and city governments, and companies.  

Ultimately, however, that wording didn’t make it into the final deal. Instead, the COP30 president promised that “the issue of stronger language on moving away from fossil fuels can be raised again in six months’ time at an interim COP meeting.” 

Here’s the problem, though. There is no path to meeting the Paris targets without almost entirely phasing out fossil fuels. This isn’t rocket science; it’s basic physics we’ve understood for over a century. 

To stabilize global temperature at any level, let alone 1.5–2°C, we must remove the same amount of heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere as we emit. Although some carbon removal is possible thanks to a range of nature-based and technological fixes, from reforestation and regenerative farming to carbon capture, their capacity is nowhere near enough to offset the emissions of unchecked fossil fuel use.  

The science is settled; what’s missing is the resolve to act on it. And the longer we wait, the higher the cost. 

I no longer use paper napkins (and very limited paper towels.) It doesn't sound that big, but having the cloth napkins to wash and fold is a nice reminder that every bit counts.

Of course the biggest bits are the most important. But as we've seen with all the rallies lately, people power is how things will change on a bigger scale. So my information sharing is the way I let folks know what's happening, in order to encourage others to be out there marching and holding big signs while I can't do it myself any more.

And while I'm at it, thank you so much for reading my little blog. I love this community of people who mostly think the same as I do. 

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The great old song, Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie, from the movie of course. You might have needed to have been there to enjoy it as much as I do. 1967

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Today’s quote:

The light of love is always in us, no matter how cold the flame. It is always present, waiting for the spark to ignite, waiting for the heart to awaken...

BELL HOOKS Today’s goddess:

“Every person needs to talk about climate change.”

Not just a small group that meets monthly at a local UU church, Climate conversations are healthy for addressing the issues and solutions. Not a growing group of different ages that meets weekly to consider how to help all our neighbors with local climate change.

We don't necessarily need to be convinced it's real any more.

Swannanoa Watershed Action Network is shown playing a Climate Change game that New York Times published.

“It’s important for climate communication today to really focus on how to include different perspectives, different ideologies that can give viable hope — because there is hope — in terms of how to address climate change differently than what’s been proposed in the past,” said Hanna Morris, an assistant professor at the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, who researches climate change media and communication."

Source: WP Climate Solutions

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/09/16/climate-change-conversation-action/

"... doomism” views on climate change and the future aren’t grounded in reality, some experts say.

“It’s definitely not too late for each and every one of us to have a real meaningful impact on ... climate action,” said Kimberly Nicholas, a sustainability and climate scientist at Lund University. “There, fatalism really worries me because it’s not a scientific question of the technical details, ‘Are they possible?’ It’s a question of, ‘Will enough human beings actually undertake any of the necessary actions?’ ”

It is, however, important to acknowledge and help people process their grief and anxiety around climate change, said Jonathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown, a climate nonprofit.

“A lot of people in the climate conversation are younger or new, which is great,” Foley said. “But not surprisingly, people who are suddenly paying attention to this are saying, ‘Oh my God, this is horrible.’ ”

The key, Nicholas said, is not to get stuck in the “doom” stage — and to use those feelings as a source of motivation to take action.

While experts said it’s critical not to entirely dismiss individual actions, they underline that certain actions matter more.

There are downsides, for instance, to the “every little bit helps” idea, Nicholas said. You should turn off the faucet every time you brush your teeth so you don’t waste water — but “that’s not a high impact action” when it comes to the climate, she said.

“Basically, the only things I talk about are flying, driving and eating meat, I actually think it’s not really worth spending much time on much else,” she said. “We have to focus on where most emissions are and focus on reducing that as quickly as possible.”

While it’s improbable that any one person is capable of single-handedly creating major change, actions can have “ripple effects,” Nicholas said.

She compared it to how cathedrals were built by hand — a process that involved hundreds, if not thousands, of people over years.

But individual action should be seen as “part of an ecosystem of change that requires systemic level changes,” Tran said.

Messaging about solutions shouldn’t be limited to reducing emissions, he added. Social solutions that address inequities and environmental justice issues “need to go hand-in-hand” with discussions about physical or economic solutions to climate change, he said.

A key component of talking about climate issues revolves around making climate solutions equitable, said Beverly Wright, founder and executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice.

“The people who have been most impacted by climate are people of color in general and poor people,” Wright said. “If we just addressed the question from the standpoint of, ‘Climate change is here, we have to reduce greenhouse gases,’ but don’t talk about how we do that, then you end up with communities being presented with what we call false solutions or our legislature being presented with false solutions.”

There should also be communication that gets those most impacted involved in the solutions, experts said. For one, Tran encouraged more trusted messengers to participate in the climate conversation.

“You need people who look like the people in the communities who are dealing with a problem to be able to motivate them to take action,” he said. “They understand what’s at stake. They understand how people are being harmed. They understand what solutions are needed to be put in place.”

“We need everyone to be a climate communicator and not just rely on one or two people or not just scientists,” he said. “Every person needs to talk about climate change.”