Five ways to talk to your family and friends about the climate crisis this Christmas

Climate marches, raging and unseasonal bushfires, the Adani coal mine. It seems like climate change and global warming is a conversation that’s going to be hard to avoid this Christmas.

‘This is about all of our futures – our lives, our
quality of life, and that of our children. Keep it
in that frame and you’re a lot closer to changing minds’ 

But some ways of talking are better than others. To help you prepare for difficult conversations here are five different ways you can try to talk about climate change, or anything else difficult and controversial, this holidays.

Read the story from The Guardian by Simon Black - “Five ways to talk to your family and friends about the climate crisis this Christmas.”

A chance conversation on climate change

Recently I had a conversation with a fellow camper in a town in NE Victoria who said he ‘didn’t know about climate change’ and went on to tell me that climate change had always happened and that we are just caught in a natural cycle.

Carol Ride from Psychology
 for a Safe Climate

I told him of my respect for the knowledge of the 97% of climate scientists who accept we humans are causing climate change and that historical records show that the current warming is unprecedented in human history. 

We talked further about my engagement with a group of psychologists helping understand the emotional struggle we have with accepting what the science is telling us. This focus piqued his interest. We talked and listened, and found common ground in acknowledging the enormity of the problem and the global changes required to address it. This man was a keen bushwalker who loved nature and was clearly troubled about the issue and the implications for change. He later told me our conversation had got him thinking. The next day as we farewelled he went out of his way to sincerely wish me luck in my work.

Read the piece by Carol Ride from Psychology for a Safe Climate - “A chance conversation on climate change.”

A Realizable Renewable Energy Future

Advocates urged the adaption
 of renewable energy nearly
20 years ago "with all due speed".

The renewable energy conversation is complex and sometimes convoluted, but from all this hot air emerges one reality: it can be done.

In 1999 the magazine “Energy” wrote a piece - “A Realizable Renewable Energy Future” – and in conclusion said:

“The question for our time is whether governments should subsidize building, manufacturing, and implementing renewable energy technologies, or should governments instead develop and build CO2 sequestration technologies. By developing and implementing renewable energy technologies and manufacturing capabilities, we would build a sustainable energy infrastructure to carry us well into the next millennium. We should embark upon this path with all due speed.”

Samuel Alexander warns of 'prosperous descent ahead'

This is a transcript of my keynote address presented at the ‘Local Lives, Global Matters’ conference in Castlemaine, Victoria, 16-18 October 2015.Other keynote speakers included Rob Hopkins, David Holmgren, and Helena Norberg-Hodge: Samuel Alexander.

T

hank you for that introduction, Jacinta, good morning everyone. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of this land and to recognise that these have always been spaces of teaching, learning, sharing, and conversation. It is a real honour to be part of this conversation today.

When I was a boy, if ever I were amongst a group of people congregating at 9am on a Sunday morning it was because I was at Church. For better or for worse, I am now a lapsed, or rather, I should say, a collapsed Catholic, although I remain a seeker. But as I look around the world today, especially from my Western perspective, it seems clear enough that God, if he is not yet dead, as Friedrich Nietzsche declared, is, at least, increasingly absent. There seems to be a tension between our spiritual sensibilities and the cultures and systems within which we live. As the poet-musician, Tom Waits, would shout in the voice of a husky wolf: ‘God’s away on business.’

But the absence of God should not imply an absence of religious thinking in our culture or cultures. In fact, I would argue quite the opposite; that our Western religiosity has become ever more intense in recent decades, and what has happened is that we simply switched idols, no longer worshipping the God of Christianity, and instead worshipping at the alter of growth, singing praises to the God of GDP, our saviour, for only in growth will we find redemption. Our high priests now take the peculiar form of neoclassical economists, bankers, and national treasurers. Daniel Bell once wrote in his landmark text, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism: ‘Economic growth is the secular religion of advancing industrial nations.’

Read what Samuel Alexander said -  “What is Degrowth? Envisioning a Prosperous Descent.”

A letter from Climate Council CEO, Amanda McKenzie

A

 letter from Climate Council CEO, Amanda McKenzie -

 

I can hardly believe it, but today marks the Climate Council’s second birthday. Had you asked me in the flurry of those first days whether I thought we’d be reaching this milestone, I don’t know that I’d have been sure of it.



Climate Council CEO,
 Amanda McKenzie.

And yet, in just two short years, we’ve helped move the debate on from a conversation on whether the science is “real” to a growing discussion about solutions. Our work on extreme weather has directly contributed to a dramatic increase in the public understanding of the influence of climate change on extreme heat, fire and floods. And through a coordinated communications campaign, we’ve made renewable energy a household conversation.

All of this has only been possible thanks to that initial support from you and 16,000 other Founding Friends. So happy second birthday to YOU! I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together - and you should feel proud to share in the celebration, because we wouldn’t be here without you.

The thing is, we don’t want to be here for too much longer.

You see, this year marks another important milestone - a critical point on our path to robust climate action: we’re halfway through the ‘critical decade’. For 200 years the pollution driving global warming has been going up and up and up. And this is the decade during which the science tells us we need to turn that around if we are to tackle climate change.

And that’s why my job, and Tim’s job, isn’t to build an organisation that can endure for decades. We’re genuinely not interested in donations for decades ahead. In fact, my job shouldn’t exist in 5 years time.

We’re all here for one purpose: to empower an informed Australian public that ensures that, no matter the government in power, failing to act on climate change is not an option. That can’t happen without the support of people like you, and the rest of the Climate Council community. Will you help us be so successful that we don’t have to be here in five years time?

Thanks to your support, our work is already having a huge impact. But as proud as I am of our work and what we’ve achieved, we simply can’t afford to be doing it in five years. We just don’t have that kind of time. We have big plans, but we need all the support you can give right now, so we can make the biggest impact possible in the shortest possible timeframe.

We know that bringing new voices to the debate to talk about why climate change matters and what it means to real people will makes climate change relevant to bigger and more diverse audiences. That’s why we’ll work even harder to expand the voices of climate change from policy wonks and scientists to include more farmers, emergency services workers and healthcare professionals.

Will you work with us to fundamentally change the public conversation to achieve real and lasting action?

We know that people need expert, accurate information about climate change so that they can increase pressure on policymakers for real and swift action. That’s why we plan on releasing even more reports that bring home the reality of risks to our health, agriculture, property, infrastructure and natural ecosystems. And we know that to change the public conversation, we need to get the best possible information out to as many people as we can, in as many places as possible. So that's why we’ll be sharing even more examples of credible solutions that exist now to partners and on social media to millions of people each month. And it’s also why our Climate Councillors will keep spending so much of their time doing back-to-back media interviews, alongside community outreach, research and new efforts at global collaboration.

There’s really no other way to say it, this is urgent, and it’s critical. More than ever, our voice needs to be even louder and stronger. We believe we can do it, but we can’t do this without you.

Thank you for giving this your support, it really does mean everything. And again, happy second birthday!

P.S. Two years ago Tim and I lost our jobs. Believe it or not, we hope to lose them again within the next five years - but this time because Australia will have taken strong action on climate change, and our jobs won’t be needed anymore. That’s the goal, anyway. Please make a tax deductible donation today to help us do just that!

Visit the Climate Council.

Coal conversation is warming up

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he coal conversation is warming up.

UN climate chief,
Christiana Figueres.

The UN climate chief, Christiana Figueres, has said there was “no space” for new coal developments and stressed the benefits of ambitious renewable energy targets after a meeting with representatives from seven Australian governments.

At the meeting in Adelaide, organised by the South Australian government, federal, state and territory administrations agreed to work more closely to drive an uptake in renewable energy, coordinate energy-efficiency schemes and help communities adapt to climate change.

Figueres, the executive secretary of the United Nations framework convention on climate change, urged the states and territories to work with the federal government to help deliver a “strong” global agreement at key climate talks in Paris in December.

Christiana Figueres says Australia needs a national consensus to achieve maximum effort in fight to avoid dangerous climate change

The Guardian story - “UN climate chief says the science is clear: there is no space for new coal” – takes us into the conversation.

'Parallel universe' facts are critical

The late Dr Mick Raupach.

Many things about which people should be critically aware are almost in a parallel universe.

One of those things is the world’s “carbon budget” – something that in the greater scheme of thing is vastly more important than what mostly clogs up our daily news bulletins.

The late Dr Mike Raupach, who died earlier this week after a brief illness, played a critical role in tallying-up the world’s carbon budget.

Most people would quickly change the conversation if it turns to the world’s carbon budget for it is largely something about which they have no knowledge and so consider irrelevant. It’s not!

The Conversation discusses the loss of Dr Mike Raupach, 64, who died peacefully at home with his family in Canberra, in a story headed: “Mike Raupach: the scientist who tallied the world’s carbon budget”.

Adam Morton boldly tackles climate change questions

Melbourne Age reporter, Adam Morton today boldly attempts to explain the latest developments in the climate change conversation.

His piece in today’s newspaper headed: “Sunday Explainer: from plants to the Pentagon, a week in climate change” asks “What’s really going on?”

Morton considers five questions that have arisen of late and while making now apparent judgement about what he has found, Morton’s piece ends with the observation, and “Even if it is possible, widespread use of the technology would be decades away, at best - well beyond the timeframe scientists warn the world needs to act to cut emissions.”

And within that statement is the nub of the issue: many people have an equal number of wonderful ideas that could mitigate the circumstances responsible for climate change, but the physical and practical realisation of all are outside the timeframe needed to protect the habitable conditions needed by humans, and countless other species.

Powerful array of speakers/films at Tatura on August 30

This month’s “Day of conversations and films” at Tatura in the Goulburn Valley will be a wonderful opportunity to consider and discuss resilience; sustainability, alternative/renewable energy and how the community gets involved.

A powerful array of speakers and an equally impressive group of films have been assembled to the Saturday, August 30, event in Tatura.

Among the speakers is the University of Melbourne's  Professor David Karoly; the founder and convenor the Melbourne-based Climate and Health Alliance, Fiona Armstrong; Victoria’s former Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability and now a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Professor Kate Auty; and a sociologist from the University of Melbourne, Dr Hans Baer.

The fifth speaker is Professor Peter Seligman who was a key member of the team that developed the Australian bionic ear.

All five will speak to a particular film and will be available to answer questions and engage in conversation.

Films to be shown on the day include: “The Earth Wins”, “The Human Cost of Power”, “The Power of Community”, “Done with the Wind – sorting the fact from the fiction”.

The program, starting at 10:00am with registration from 9:00am, will also include a number of short films ranging from just a few minutes.

Tatura’s Terry Court will also make a short presentation about a new and important energy project for Tatura; a project that could be the first step in achieving energy independence for the town.

Tatura Transition Towns has organized the “Day of conversations and films” and president, Ross Musolino, has booked the Hogan St “Gallery Café” for the event.

Ross said: “Transition Tatura brings to the Goulburn Valley community our inaugural film festival.

“It’s a day of conversations and films; a format that includes inspiring speakers, short films and time for both facilitated and free conversation.

 “If your interest is shaping the future for healthier communities, livelihoods and fun founded on initiatives that rebuild resilience and reduce emissions then this is the event for you,” Ross said.

 A charge of $25 covers the full day, including morning and afternoon tea and a light lunch. People can book online by visiting Ticket Booth.

Those with any questions about the “Day of conversations and films” can contact Ross at 0407 845 247 or Mark Banting at markb@gvwater.vic.gov.au.

Framing helps make scientific fact a social reality

How do we make a scientific fact a social reality?

It’s a question we urgently need to answer for to scientifically understand something and yet not be able to embed in the social fabric means the evolving reality is pretty much ignored.

The complexities of the conversation are explored in a story on the Guardian’s “Sustainable Living Hub” page headed: “How framing can move climate change from scientific to social fact”.

We're beyond 'argument' and 'debate', now it is 'conversation' and 'discussion'

The time for climate change action advocates to be using such words as “argument” or “debate” is over and from here it is more important to say “conversation” or “discussion”.

Understanding the mind
will help us understand
climate change.

Psychological research clearly illustrates that the use of “argument” or “debate” serves only the purposes of the skeptics who cherry-pick facts to convince the uninformed that climate change is not really happening.

In fact the last six words in that sentence “climate change is not really happening” is of itself dangerous and immediately becomes a “truth” for those among the undecided masses with those same people almost automatically and unconsciously attributing that “fact” to whoever made that statement, even if it is an august organization such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

No longer can we discuss myths as basic research shows that within just days most people quickly forget what is and isn’t a myth and, equally become confused about the realities, the facts that were unambiguously explained to them.

People tend to hear what they want to hear and if what they are hearing does not within personal frames of reality, then they seem to mysteriously change what they heard.

Further confusing all that, the complexities and realities of climate change are so vast that it is unlikely they fit within the imagined realities of anyone and so while it is challenging and difficult to keep personal understandings in synch with what is really happening, it is doubly difficult to have another understand and accept what is unfolding.

So, be careful with your language, choose your words carefully and remember that even the most precise and accurately engineering statement can be manipulated by dedicated skeptics.

Where to now for Beneath the Wisteria?

by Robert McLean

Where to now for Beneath the Wisteria?

The group was formed with no definitive goal or aim, other than to raise awareness and give people a chance to discuss the matter.

Ten months in and although those who regularly attend are much better informed about the realities facing humanity, we are still without understandable intent.

Comfort comes from the view that Beneath the Wisteria is not an activist group rather, somewhere those unsettled by our changing climate can go to have their commitment and hope refurbished.

Refreshed and renewed they can return to their respective parts of our community to again discuss a tragedy that is unfolding like a slow motion train wreck.

In fact it is the “slow motion train wreck” that is the prime difficulty.

The arrival of climate change is, in geological terms happening breathtakingly quickly, but in human-life terms, at a snail’s pace and so it demands athletic thinking to see, and understand, that what is happening now, will end, this century if unattended to, the near ideal conditions that have allowed humanity to flourish.

It is easy to focus on the burgeoning calamity we face, but it is damnably difficult to concentrate for long on the workable and useful responses to climate change before again falling again into the “woe is me” rut.

Uncertainty stalks my thinking.

Beneath the Wisteria has been wonderfully successful in many ways, among them the fact that it has drawn together a group, who by their willingness to “stand” in a public place and declare their position on what is the most arresting and significant challenge ever faced by humanity, is something worthy of celebration.

Several Beneath the Wisteria supporters are working tirelessly to combat climate change in various and commendable ways and maybe that is the group’s true purpose; to simply be there to provide moral and, if needed, physical support.

Considering our purpose, it is worth noting that time is not really on our side as the world’s climate is deteriorating at a rate well in excess of what just a year ago had been predicted by many of the world’s leading climatologists.

The “business as usual” boosters and the powerful fossil fuel lobbyists can focus only immediate profits and so immediately they see any weakness, or what they perceive as a weakness, in the indisputable evidence of global warming, they pounce.

Time is not on our side and although Beneath the Wisteria supporters are, in the broad scheme of things, of little consequence, it rests with us to unashamedly tell the truth about the implications of the changes we face because of global warming.

When we gather next Beneath the Wisteria (Saturday, October 27, 11:30am), let’s talk about where we go from here.

Please make an effort to join us – several have commented about the difficulty they experience in hearing the conversation and have argued that we move indoors, somewhere.

I understand their concerns, I too have trouble at times hearing the conversation, but this being a public issue it needs to be addressed publicly and so rather than be cloistered away in some obscure meeting room, we need to be “out there” with the public.

Although I believe it is going to require serious and bold State intervention to arrive at any workable solution, there undoubtedly needs to be a huge groundswell from the people.

Food security talks for BtW in February

Saturday’s January gathering Beneath the Wisteria (BtW) to consider a response to climate change attracted 14 people.

The wide ranging conversation explored such things as diverse as trains and town planning, along with a host of other matters.

It was agreed, however, that the conversation, despite being primarily about a considered response to climate change, needed some overarching direction and therefor a broad topic that discussion could be drawn back to.

Subsequently the group agreed that the next gathering Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall would focus on food security within the confines of a climate that is changing.

That next gathering is set for Saturday, February 25, at 11:30am. Most who attended the January 28 discussion brought with them a folding chair and as the wisteria was in full leaf, shade was abundant – the situation should be much the same for the February discussion.