Climate classes plan – Russ Vernon-Jones -Dec 19, 2021 – updated Jan. 2023
This is the plan I wrote when many regions, including my own, were teaching a two month series of classes on climate change in January/February of 2022. This is just my plan. It’s not a prescription or a recommendation about what you do. You are welcome to use/borrow any of it, but I encourage you to think about what will work best for your class and what’s doable for you. This plan was written for classes I was teaching in the United States.
I do have one strong admonition for you and for myself:
Don’t try to teach classes on the climate crisis without having your own session on the climate every week. Work every week on your earliest hurts that are restimulated by the climate crisis, as well as on the content of each class and current events.
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Key notes for RC teachers from Diane Shisk
Main goals of any class/group:
- Discharge,
- Discharge of what stops people from paying attention to this issue and learning a little bit,
- Discharge on what stops people from getting engaged,
- Discharge on connection w/oppression
Key distresses to work on (remember these will come up over and over for people, keep coming back to working with people on this stuff)
It’s really scary
It’s too late—hopelessness, discouragement
I’m too small, insignificant, powerlessness
Too many other things are important—true but…
Isolation—taking action often brings up early feelings of being on our own
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Note: I put the assignments and links to all of the resources used in this 6-class plan on the Google Doc at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q-GoxwYaEnuLfEruEdoCFDYnMKtni6xLj8fKyEltE_s/edit?usp=sharing so students could access them all in one place. All the info on that sheet is included in the class plans below.
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SUMMARY OF RUSS’S 6-CLASS PLAN
- Loving the environment, hope, despair, “I will not turn away”
- Finding the roots of our feelings about climate in our earliest material and discharging there. Some SAL website resources
- Racism and how it and climate change are interrelated – other oppressions
- Reading and discharging on “Unified Goal on the Climate” one short section at a time – role of RC and the seriousness of the situation
- “Voices from the Frontline” video, U.S international responsibility; and idea of making a plan to continue discharging, learning, and taking action
- “Honest Government” semi-humorous video and deciding on personal plans, policies and action; choosing hope
(It can be useful to have a few hopeful facts at your fingertips if things get heavy. Such as: In a recent poll 3 out of 4 voters in the U.S. supported the government’s pledge to reduce the nation’s carbon pollution 50% by 2030. And, the worldwide price of solar panels has dropped 89% since 2010. (In the outline is a link for What’s Happening with the Climate, which has many good news entries: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Puj4YXeBtpfS6DZuUFYXG5zL2oVP3iZECTfeXE7XwW4/edit?usp=sharing
After the class outlines there’s also a link to a PowerPoint on the RC website with nothing but cute baby animals and cartoons.)
I don’t always have assignments for students for RC class, but I did for this series. They are relatively short. My assistant sent a reminder about them to students mid-week, each week. Most students read them and it enhanced what we could do in class. Some of them are short videos.
CLASS OUTLINES/NOTES - 6 Classes
Assignment before first class – Diane’s short intro article https://www.rc.org/publication/environment/introtocc
First Class
Land acknowledgement – we are on Native land; native people are still here
Brief intro talk – How good it is to all be doing this together and to know that RCers all over the world are discharging and thinking about climate change. More and more of us are also taking action. We are facing the largest crisis faced by humanity and seeking to clear our distresses so we can each play an increasingly effective role in helping to solve the situation.
Go around – What’s something in nature that you love? A place? A plant or animal, etc?
Go around – What’s something that gives you hope about climate?
Mini-session
Go around – What leads you to feel despair or fear about climate?
Mini-session
Offer one fact in game show format, “What is 1977?” (See info near the very end of this document.)
Talk briefly about the challenge and importance of sustaining attention on the climate and discharging repeatedly. Offer the direction, “I will not turn away.”
Counsel each member of the class briefly in front of the whole group.
Assignment for 2nd class
Watch the 3 minute video, “Introduction to Sustaining All Life and United to End Racism,” which was made for non-RCers. It’s on the home page of the SAL website. https://sustainingalllife.org/
Optional additional assignment – Watch this 8 minute video on the basics of climate science and the origin of the crisis
“The Carbon Cycle is Key to Understanding Climate Change “ by The Economist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhlg9txl7yM
Second class .
This class is all about our feelings about the climate crisis and how they pull up our biggest, earliest hurts – feelings of being overwhelmed, powerless, alone, hopeless, and/or caretakers/parents not understanding us or doing what was needed.
Emphasize the basic RC theory that although there are real challenges in the present, the bulk of our feelings come from early hurts and these restimulated feelings limit our present day functioning.
(This point about working on early hurts and knowing that much of our current feelings are from the past, will be important to review in every one of the following classes.)
Counsel each class member on this – the goal is to give every class member access to discharge on early material in connection with climate. I often counsel people by asking them what feelings come up for them when they think about the climate crisis, and then asking them when in their early life they first felt such feelings. Then we do most of the discharge work back on the early feelings, while they are aware that these feelings are affecting their reactions to the climate crisis.
Also note how our early feelings lead us to feel alone or as though we need to function alone in addressing climate. The exact opposite is true – we can’t do it alone, we don’t need to do it alone, and literally millions of people all over the world are speaking up and taking action.
Offer one fact in game show format, “What is 51 and 400?” (See info near the very end of this document.)
Introduce SAL resources– Either on SAL website https://sustainingalllife.org/resources/
Look at the page together – zoom screen share. – Each class member pick one of the short SAL handouts/statements listed under “All Literature” to read and report on in the next class.– I plan to be sure that at least “Capitalism,”” Indigenous people,” and “Women” get chosen in my class.
Assignment for 3rd class:
All read
The Work of Sustaining All Life and United to End Racism
https://sustainingalllife.org/resources/work-of-sal/
The Resource List of All Literature and All Videos – just read the titles in the list
https://sustainingalllife.org/resources/
Prepare a brief report for the class on one of the SAL handouts, as selected in the previous class.
Third Class .
Half of class reports briefly on the SAL literature agreed to last week
Mini after the reports are done - there won’t be time for a mini after each one.
Racism – I recommend that the RC teacher give short talk. It can be based on the info at https://sustainingalllife.org/resources/racism/
You may also find a blog post of mine helpful: “What’s Race Got to Do with It?” at https://www.russvernonjones.org/whats-race-got-to-do-with-it/
You might want to include the following ideas:
Turning away enacts racism because it abandons people of color to the effects of climate change that disproportionately affect marginalized communities
Bridging all divisions – people of the world are in this together. We must reach for each other.
Work with some people (or each class member) on the impact of racism on them – either as GMI or white people–as it affects their relationship to climate change. One possible question for clients is:
“Where does the racism or internalized racism that’s been put on you interfere with you seeing yourself as significant and connected enough to make a difference?”
Offer one fact in game show format, “What is 200 million or maybe a billion ?” (See info near the very end of this document.
Assignment for 4th class – Take a look at “What’s Happening with the Climate – Good News and Bad News” – developed and updated weekly by RCers
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Puj4YXeBtpfS6DZuUFYXG5zL2oVP3iZECTfeXE7XwW4/edit?usp=sharing
Just read some of the entries. Be sure to find some good news that you like.
Fourth Class .
Other half of class reports on SAL literature read
Mini after the reports are done - there won’t be time for a mini after each one.
The December 2021 plan called for the class to look together at “Continuing an Ever-More-Needed Initiative” which in on the RC website at https://www.rc.org/publication/present_time/pt206/pt206_003_tj
Now that we have the new Unified Goal on the Climate https://www.rc.org/publication/environment/unified_goal , I think that should be the focus of this class and many others.
You may need to begin by letting everyone have a mini on how long the goal is. People seem to have feelings about this. It is, in fact, a cross between a goal and a program. I think its length is serving us well.
There are many ways to approach this. I’ve had good success with having students look at it together in class (screen share on Zoom): read a paragraph or two aloud, then have a mine, then have a discussion. Discharge first, then discuss what you’ve read together. I would work through the first part of the goal this way up to the section on various oppressions. I would simply note what oppressions are included and then plan to teach separate classes in the future on each one of them and their intersections with climate change.
If time permits, do more work directly on feelings about climate and early hurts – Do at least another mini on this if time is limited.
(Another option - where are your feelings stopping you from engaging in more climate action?)
Offer one fact in game show format, “What is 1.6 and 2.1 ?” (See info near the very end of this document.)
If time permits you could do a brief think and listen: “What questions do you have about climate; how might you get answers?”
Assignment for 5th class – read the Short RC Draft Programf
Fifth Class .
Discussion and mini on short draft program
If you have the info – answer some of the questions people have related to climate change
Show Frontline Voices video
https://sustainingalllife.org/es/recursos/frontline-voices-video/
(Be sure and turn on English subtitles before you begin to show it to English speakers. This video is a little more than 10 minutes long. I recommend showing it up to 5:42 and stopping just after Janet Kabue (an African RC leader) says, “The destruction of our lives is the ultimate price paid for your comfort.” Have a mini. Then show the remainder of the video. There are some healing, hopeful perspectives toward the very end. Then have another mini. (This might be a place to remind students of the “I will not turn away” direction.
Have a discussion about the international racism of wealthy white nations not doing enough to end climate change, and the necessity of these nations providing a great deal of funding to less wealthy nations to deal with mitigation (reducing emissions), adaptation, (preparing for further climate catastrophe) and loss and damage (paying for the effects climate change has already had).
Offer one fact in game show format, “What is 1st, 2nd, 2nd ?” (See info near the very end of this document.)
Appreciate the leadership of frontline people and appreciate RC and SAL for creating the forums that led to this video.
Start talking about each of your students developing personal policies and a personal program on the climate emergency to:
- Keep discharging on an ongoing basis
- Take some collective action – joining or getting people together and making this a priority – (maybe go back to “Continuing an Ever-More-Needed Initiative”)
- Take some individual action
- Keep learning
Note: Doing some discharge and starting work on your own plans before you talk to your class will help this go better.
Assignment for 6th Class – write down and bring to class – elements of the personal policies and program you want to adopt
Sixth Class .
Show the video: “Honest Government Ad | Net Zero by 2050”
Original Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FqXTCvDLeo
(The “f” word is used a lot in this. You can instead show the PG version in which the “f” word is bleeped out.)
PG Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoMUXjlVN5g
Mini
Brief talk – The point is that it’s up to us – the people.
Do a mini or short demos on facing and claiming our significance; on deciding to do something
Demos and/or mini on each of us moving toward people more and engaging with people constantly on climate – stepping out of our isolation, timidity, and shyness
Offer one fact in game show format, “What is 4 million ?” (See info near the very end of this document.)
Discussion – What can we do? Two possible answers are 1) bring up the topic of the climate crisis and talk and listen to people repeatedly about climate; 2) Find an organization that’s addressing climate and get involved with other people on a project
Sharing personal plans, policies and program – discharge
End with brief talk and time to discharge on choosing hope.
End of class outlines - but don’t stop here.
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IMPORTANT IDEAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS OUTLINE – WE CAN’T DO EVERYTHING IN ONLY 6 CLASSES
Keep reading, discharging, and thinking about each section of the Unified Goal on the Climate
Working on “we aren’t going to make it” - facing despair/fear
Work on other oppression issues and climate
Reducing consumption
ESM and climate
Capitalism and distribution of wealth–driving the climate crisis
War – see SAL handout
A full class on Choosing Hope
Bigger tour of the resources on the RC websites
Etc.
OTHER RC RESOURCES
https://www.rc.org/publication/environment/climatechange index to many other resources, but manageable in length
Teaching Guide to 8 possible RC classes on Climate – on the RC website
https://www.rc.org/publication/environment/Eight_Teaching_Guides_COE.pdf
PowerPoint with nothing by cute baby animals and cartoons for attention out is linked part way down this page in the Annotated PowerPoint section
https://www.rc.org/publication/environment/climatechange
Longer article, “Why the RC Communities Still Prioritize Climate Change”
https://www.rc.org/publication/environment/climatepriority
This article is long, excellent, and a lot to deal with. It includes information about possible solutions. I would say it’s only for those who really want more info. Most of us need more discharge, more than we need this much info.
From the Draft Program:
Taking Action as Co-Counselors
As Co-Counselors we can
- identify and discharge the distresses that keep us from facing the present situation and working together with everyone to implement solutions—ones that always address the connections between climate change, oppression, and genocide;
- communicate to people everywhere about climate change—the causes (including human distress recordings), results, disparat impact on frontline communities, and solutions—in a way that will move them to join us in taking individual and collective actions;
- apply and share RC tools and insights widely;
- discharge any worries and fears that could interfere with our thinking and acting rationally, with integrity and courage, in the widespread social upheavals that are likely as climate change progresses.
From the RC Website:
INTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS
These are challenging topics for almost everyone. A priority will be helping people discharge. The following can help create the safety and connection for discharge:
- Close relationships within the group
- Open caring for each other
- Light tone (aided by songs, games, excursions outside, jokes, and so on)
- Pleasant memories of contact with the natural world (spectrum of techniques)
- Sharing hopeful things that are happening in connection with the environment
Help people work on the early distresses underlying their present-day feelings about the topic. While the situation is difficult in the present, our feelings are fueled by our early experiences. These are often feelings of discouragement, helplessness, fear, and isolation.
If you are doing these classes in series, you may want class members to try things between classes and report back. For example, they can learn about the local impact of climate change, learn something about a local life form, attend an environmental action, create a “climate change” game or skit, and so on.
Start the classes acknowledging that you are meeting on Native land and have someone give information about the original inhabitants of the land. Ask class members to learn more about this and share what they learn at the beginning of each class.
SEVEN FACTS IN GAME SHOW FORMAT
(The game show idea (putting out a number and asking the “audience” to guess what it means or why it is significant) is from Diane Shisk, the facts were selected by Russ V-J.)
A brief article for the general public that includes the below facts and puts them in the context of using them in conversations is available at https://www.russvernonjones.org/spice-up-your-talking-about-climate-a-number-for-each-day-of-the-week/
What is 1977?
The year that oil giant Exxon knew about the harmful effect of fossil fuels on the climate. They then began, and are still continuing, to spend millions of dollars publicly promoting doubt, denial and disinformation about climate change, and influencing politicians--seriously setting back efforts to address the climate crisis.
What is 1st, 2nd, 2nd?
The United States is 1st when nations are ranked according to their total greenhouse gas emissions over the years since 1850.
The U.S. is 2nd among all nations when they are ranked according to their current emission levels. (China is first.)
The U.S. is 2nd among populous nations in current per capita emissions.
(The average personal carbon footprint of each person in the U.S. is 16.2 metric tons. In Australia it's 17t. Many European countries with high standards of living have much lower emissions per person--ex. France (5.5t) and the U.K (5.8t). The global average is 4.8t per person.
What is 200 million or maybe 1 billion?
Recent estimates of the number of people in the world who will become climate refugees between now and 2050--that is, in the next 29 years--range from 200 million to 1 billion. Millions of people around the world are already being forced to move by the effects of climate change. These numbers can be significantly reduced by effective global climate action.
What is 51 and 400?
Humanity is currently emitting CO2 at the rate of 51 Gigatons per year. According to the IPCC, the world's remaining carbon budget if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C is 400 Gt in total. At the world's current rate of emissions we will use up our carbon budget in about 8 years. (The 400 Gt budget is estimated to give us a 2 in 3 chance of not exceeding 1.5°C. For a fifty-fifty chance of not exceeding 1.5°C the carbon budget is estimated to be 500Gt.) Could there be a stronger case for immediate rapid reductions in emissions everywhere?
What is 1.6 and 2.1?
The U.S. fair share of funding for developing nations to address the climate crisis that the U.S has played such a large role in creating is calculated to be at least $1.6 trillion dollars between now and 2030. This seems like a lot of money until you consider that the billionaires of the U.S. have increased their wealth by $2.1 trillion dollars just since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. That's just the billionaires, not even all of the 1%. They could be taxed to pay all of the U.S. fair share and still all be billionaires.
What is 4 million?
We are all part of a large worldwide climate movement. On September 20, 2019 4 million people took to the streets to demand climate action in over 2,500 events, in over 163 countries, on all 7 continents. People of all races, ages, religions, and nationalities are committed to humanity making the changes needed for a sustainable future. (The Guardian wrote that 6 million people participated over the course of that week of protests.) Let's put our hope in the people, and each help grow the movement.
What is listening?
It's important to listen to people respectfully in all of our conversations with them about climate. I'm not suggesting another number, because I want to take this opportunity to remind us about the importance of listening. When we invite people to engage their minds with the climate crisis we help move them toward greater action. Whenever I share one of the above numbers, I also find it useful to ask people, "What scares you about the climate situation?" and "What gives you hope about the climate?"
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Sustaining All Life: Tools for Organizers and Activists
Outline for Sustaining all Life Class--Marya Axner
Introduction:
In order to limit the effects of human-caused climate change we need to build a massive movement, spanning the globe, of people from every background. We believe there are current barriers to building a sufficiently large and powerful movement that we need to address. They include:
(1) longstanding divisions (usually based in oppression) between nations and between groups of people within nations,
(2) widespread feelings of discouragement and powerlessness among the populations of many countries,
(3) denial of or failure to engage with the environmental crisis, and
(4) difficulties in effectively addressing the connections between the environmental crisis and the failures of capitalism. The tools of Sustaining All Life are useful in addressing these issues and others.
In this class we will examine these barriers and learn how we can each work to overcome them.
Outline of 4-week class:
Class One:
- Overview of the four-week class
- Start to get to know each other
- Learn about the importance of healing from personal damage
- Learn about listening and being listened to
Learning basic listening skills: People will learn to listen to another person without giving advice, without judgement and with respect and caring. Each person will also experience what it is like to be listened to without someone judging them or interrupting them. We will have a chance to follow our minds as we talk, and remember relevant times in our lives.
In these exercises, people are encouraged to talk about personal experiences: We learn that we can heal from hurtful experiences if someone listens to us attentively and allows and encourage us release grief, fear, and other painful emotions. People will be expected to agree on confidentiality during certain exercises .
Class Two:
- Continue to learn listening skills and practice talking about hurtful experiences: how to heal from them, in order to be more powerful.
- Discuss how climate change targets people of color, poor people, and indigenous people disproportionately.
- Learn about the role of oppression in our own lives. We will talk about how we personally have been targeted by oppression. For example, we will talk about how we have been targeted for being Jewish, for being a woman, for being a person of color, for being LGBTQ or other oppressions. We will address how oppression divides and disempowers people.
Class Three:
- Continue practicing listening and talking about hurtful experiences and healing from them, in order to be more powerful.
- Continue talking about how oppression affects our lives.
- Explore how we each were unwittingly pushed into the role of oppressing others and begin to heal from being in those roles. We work with the assumption that no one wants to be oppress others. We also assume that people can change and take a stand against oppression.
Class Four:
- Continue learning listening skills and practicing talking about hurtful experiences and how to heal from them, in order to be more powerful.
- Talk about connections between the environmental crisis and the failures of capitalism and what else might be possible in a transformed economic system.
- Talk about how we can be most effective in moving climate issues forward and set goals for doing that.
- Explore continuing in a listening partnerships to support our work.
*Sustaining All Life (SAL) is an international grassroots organization working to end the climate emergency within the context of ending all divisions among people. SAL is a project of and uses tools of Re-evaluation Counseling. You can visit: https://www.sustainingalllife.org/ for more information.