Care of the Environment, Climate Change, & Sustaining All Life

Key Documents

Sustaining All Life

Care of the Environment

Our Goal on Care of the Environment (COE)

Draft Policy on Care of the Environment

Resources on COE Work

Our Environment (a digital publication)
Class outlines for teaching on COE
Experiences teaching about COE in RC classes
Racism and the Environment, PowerPoint Presentation
Articles on COE and Teaching Other Resources

RC Articles on COE Work

Sustaining All Life pamphlet, preface
Draft Policy on Care of the Environment
Thoughts in Support of the Draft Policy on Care of the Environment
Toward a New Goal on Care of the Environment, by Tim Jackin
Care of the Environment (summary from Fundamentals Teaching Guide II), by Wytske Visser
Care of the Environment (article), by Wytske Visser
Bringing Our Strengths as RCers  to the Movement to Stop Climate Change , by Diane Shisk
Racism, Genocide, Colonialism and Care of the Environment, by Russ Vernon-Jones
Climate Change and RC, by Tim Jackins and Diane Shisk

COE Activities in Our Communities

T-shirts, hankies, pamphlets, and posters

COE pamphlets, t-shirts, hankies
COE posters
Climate Change and the RC Communities

Climate Change

Resources: An Introduction to Climate Change

An Introduction to Climate Change in 60 Seconds—a brief video from the Royal Society and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences: <www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4e5UPu1co0>.

An article “An Introduction to Climate Change,” by Diane Shisk: <www.rc.org/introtocc>.

Temperature anomalies arranged by country, from 1900 to 2016: <www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Ra2HR27pQ>. (This video shows the rhythm of global warming for countries around the world, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe—making it clear that temperatures for more than a hundred countries are climbing ever higher on the back of increasing carbon `pollution.)

Our Stories of Climate Change—stories by RCers about the effects of climate change they are seeing in their own communities: <www.rc.org/climatechangestories>.

Resources: Beyond the Basics of Climate Change

Climate Change, How Do We Know? <climate.nasa.gov/evidence/>. (This is from the NASA website, an excellent resource for basic and more detailed information that has many videos and graphics on different aspects of climate change.)

Draft Policy on Care of the Environment—the RC Communities’ draft policy on care of the environment, including climate change: <www.rc.org/draftpolicycoe>.

Multi-media presentation on climate change—Diane Shisk’s summary of the science and key issues, with videos and graphics: <www.rc.org/multimedia>.

Stories of Hope and Courage—excerpts from writings by RCers and from the news showing hopeful ways that people are organizing: <www.rc.org/climatehope>.

The article “Why We Prioritize Addressing Climate Change,” by Diane Shisk and Tim Jackins: <www.rc.org/climatepriority>. (This is a summary, updated every few months, of the basic science of climate change, with citations for more resources and a summary of what we can do.)

Resources: Advanced Information about Climate Change

A Summary of the Current Science of Climate Change and why immediate action is needed: <www.rc.org/sciencesummary>. (This is a detailed survey and summary of current peer-reviewed articles on the science of climate change, with citations, that is updated every couple of months.)

A proposed Draft Program for the RC Communities on Climate Change that includes an overall program and specific action steps: <www.rc.org/climatechangedraft>. (We expect to update this frequently as more information becomes available about the steps we can and should take now. The program was drafted with a global perspective, but people from every country are encouraged to write an addendum about their specific circumstances, since the situation varies so much from country to country.)

Global Warming of 1.5 °C, an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. A summary of this report is here.

RC Articles about Climate Change

An Introduction to Climate Change, by Diane Shisk, October 2018

Science of Climate Change, multimedia outline, by Diane Shisk, October 2018

Standing Up to Fracking in the North of England, by Sheena Mooney, October 2018

Becoming Warriors for Climate and Economic Justice, by David Ratzlow, October 2018

Facing the Seriousness of Climate Change, by Diane Shisk, October 2018

Resources for Increasing Our Awareness about Climate Change, by Diane Shisk, October 2018

Climate Change and "Mental Health" Liberation, by Russ Vernon-Jones, October 2018

Bringing Our Strengths as RCers to the Movement to Stop Climate Change, by Diane Shisk, July 2018

Young Voices from COP23, by Nuala Gathercole-Lam, January 2018

A Good Experience with Civil Disobedience, Russ Vernon-Jones, January 2018

What to Do in the Current Situation, by Diane Shisk, October 2017

Climate Change and RC, by Tim Jackins and Diane Shisk, April 2017

Learning about Climate Change in an RC Class, by many, April 2017

The Present Conditions and Tasks, by Tim Jackins, January 2017

Why We Prioritize Addressing Climate Change, by Diane Shisk and Tim Jackins, June 2016

Gathering Friends to Look at Climate Change, by Anna Shapley-Quinn, April 2016

Bringing RC to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, July 2015

Perhaps We Could Do Something Big, by John Braxton, January 2015

It's Time to Play a Big Role, by Madeleine Para, July 2014

A Listening Project and a Four-week Class on Climate Change, by Nancy Faulstich, July 2014

A Listening Project on Climate Change, by Nancy Faulstich, October 2013

A Call to Action on Climate Change, by Madeleine Para, July 2012

Websites explaining climate change

NASA: Climate Science, How Do We Know?

Six Graphics that Explain Climate Change, by BBC News

Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye the Science Guy

Climate Science: What you Need to Know

A Timeline of Earth's Average Temperature

Global Cities at Risk from Sea-Level Rise

US Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Change

National Resources Defense Council: Global Warming 101

The Ocean and Climate Change

Years of Living Dangerously (2 seasons, search on the internet)

Videos that get your attention out

Julia Roberts as Mother Nature

Morgan Freeman, Our Future

I'm A Climate Scientist

Funny videos

Old People Don't Care about Climate Change

John Oliver, Climate Change Debate

Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit

Climate Change Helps Homeless People

Useful short videos and graphics

Carbon Brief: Data Dashboard

The Climate Risks of Natural Gas

Top Ten Solutions to Climate Change from Drawdown

Carbon budget, global mean temperature, CO2 concentration

Countries most likely to survive climate change

CO2 Emissions of top ten countries over time

Current CO2 Emissions

What the world would look like if all the ice melted

IPCC Report, October 2018

Global Warming of 1.5 °C

Draft Programs of Other Organizations

The Sunrise Movement--Sunrise is a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. We're building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people. Plan.

Extinction Rebellion--Extinction Rebellion is a campaign by the Rising Up network. We aim to promote a fundamental change of our political and economic system to one which maximises well-being and minimises harm.

Exponential Climate Action Roadmap--A report to the Global Climate Action Summit, September 2018 outlining the global economic transformation required by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement on climate.

The Climate Mobilization--Faced with a catastrophically failing system, the only rational response is a system overhaul. To protect humanity, we need a massive transformation of our economy and society in a matter of years, not decades. We must rapidly direct our resources toward a singular national purpose: restoring a safe climate for our world.

The Leap Manifesto--We call for a Canada based on caring for each other and the planet, moving swiftly to a post-carbon future, upholding Indigenous rights, and pursuing economic justice for all.

World on the Edge, Earth Policy Institute--In this urgent time, World on the Edge calls out the pivotal environmental issues and how to solve them now.

Useful websites

Carbonbrief.org--and you can subscribe to a very useful daily email briefing

ClimateActionTracker--independent scientific analysis of 32 countries with 80% of all carbon emissions, tracking progress towards the globally agreed aim of holding warming well below 2°C, and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.

George Washington University listing of 53 climate change websites

US Climate Resilience Toolkit

World Institute on Disability: Climate Change and Disaster Preparation for People with Disabilities

United States Climate Alliance