Talking about the Climate Crisis
Dear parents,
As you and I know, parenting is rough. You parents with younger children may really want to do something about the climate crisis and just feel like you can’t.
I was listening to a climate “expert” the other day who is also a parent of a young child. She had done some research and found that even though most people are worried about the climate emergency, only one third of people in the United States ever talk about it. (That means two thirds of people never talk about it!) And that is what we most need to do!
So, as parents, one of the most important things we can do is bring up the topic with family and friends. We already know how to listen. We can start the conversation with any of our people and see what happens. Let’s not let our fears get in the way of giving this a try.
We need lots more people who are aware of the issues, and who will talk to others, and who may, at some point, become active. We parents have a huge incentive to be involved: the future of our children. We speak with authority.
We often think that we are just one person and that our efforts don’t matter. But I promise you that every conversation matters. Speaking as a USer, I sometimes feel that I must be the person who makes the decisive change. Instead, we all need to understand that we are one of millions of cells in the body of the human species, each one having an important role.
I know many of you are already having these conversations. Please write and tell us about them.
Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of parents
(Present Time 207, April 2022)