An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore

INTRODUCTION

Having spent the better part of my life for the past several decades trying to learn from experts on the climate crisis and working with technology and policy innovators to develop solutions for the unprecedented challenge humanity faces, I have never been more hopeful. At this point in the fight to solve the climate crisis, there are only

three questions remaining:

Must we change?

Can we change?

Will we change?

In the pages that follow, you will find the best available evidence

supporting the overwhelming conclusion that the answer to the first two of these three questions is a resounding “Yes.”

I am convinced that the answer to the third question—“Will we

change?”—is also “Yes,” but that conclusion, unlike the answer to the first two questions, is in the nature of a prediction. And in order for that prediction to come true, there must be a continued strengthening of the global consensus embodied in the Paris Agreement of December 2015, in which virtually every nation on Earth agreed to take concerted action to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero as early in the second half of this century as possible. That strengthened consensus depends in turn upon the

continuing growth of a global grassroots movement to encourage political leaders in every nation to take even bolder steps than the ones agreed to in Paris. Luckily, that grassroots movement is already growing rapidly, not only among activists and leaders of civil society but also among business leaders, investors, mayors, and other elected officials who recognize that the stakes have never been higher. As more and more people come to the same realization that we really must change, the movement continues to gain momentum. In other words, all three of these questions are intimately

interrelated. In order to accelerate and complete the historic transformation of global civilization that is already under way, it is first necessary to come to grips with the unprecedented threat to humanity posed by our continued reliance on fossil fuels, our unsustainable industrial transportation, agriculture, forestry, and ocean management practices—and our habit of short-term thinking that blinds too many of us to the unimaginable damage we are causing. And in order to summon the will to act with the requisite boldness, we have to have confidence that once we commit ourselves, we can succeed. So let’s begin with the first question: must we change?

In some ways, it is easy to understand one of the main reasons it

has taken so much time to fully recognize the self-destructive nature of our current pattern. After all, humanity has gained immeasurable benefits from the burning of fossil fuels—higher standards of living, longer lifespans, historic reductions in poverty, and all of the blessings of the elaborate global civilization that has been developed over the past 150 years. Moreover, because we still depend on fossil fuels for more than

80 percent of the energy that powers our civilization, we are naturally daunted by the prospect of a rapid transition to renewable sources of energy and the speedy development of much higher levels of efficiency in all human activities. Nevertheless, the obvious and overwhelming evidence of the

damage we are causing is now increasingly impossible for reasonable people to ignore. It is widely known by now that there is a nearly unanimous view among all scientists authoring peer-reviewed articles related to the climate crisis that it threatens our future, that human activities are largely if not entirely responsible, and that action is needed urgently to prevent the catastrophic harm it is already starting to bring. More importantly, Mother Nature is reminding us almost daily that

the impacts of the climate crisis are growing steadily more severe, with more frequent and powerful climate-related extreme weather events. Every night, the TV news is like a nature hike through the Book of Revelation. But before diving further into examples of the unprecedented

harm we are causing, please remember how important it is to guard against feelings of despair. Despair, after all, is simply another form of denial, and can serve to paralyze the will we need to fight our way out of this crisis. And bear in mind that the hopeful news about the availability of solutions is a powerful antidote to the feelings that can be aroused by the disconcerting news about the self-harm we are presently inflicting upon humanity. High temperature records are being routinely broken on every

continent—even Antarctica, where, in 2015, scientists confirmed one measurement of 17.5ºC (63.5ºF ).

Because of the physics of global warming, nighttime temperatures are rising even faster than daytime temperatures, and heat waves are becoming far more common. Air temperatures are predicted to steadily increase all around the

world because of the continuing accumulation of man-made global warming pollution in the atmosphere, the thin shell of air that surrounds our planet. The cumulative amount of this gaseous pollution exceeded 400 parts per million for the entire year for the first time in human history in 2016 (43 percent higher than preindustrial levels).

The combination of higher ocean temperatures and the growing

acidification of ocean water (approximately one-third of the CO we 2 release into the atmosphere settles into the ocean, where it has already increased acidity by 30 percent) are leading to the death of coral reefs throughout the world. It is also disrupting the process by which coral polyps—and all sea creatures with shells—scavenge calcium carbonate from seawater and transform it into the hard structures necessary for their survival. Warmer ocean temperatures are also causing the mass migration

of fish populations, many of which are simultaneously being depleted by overfishing, the runoff of pollution from coastal areas, and a sharp decline of oxygen in the growing number of “dead zones” in the ocean. The decline of fish populations in the tropics and subtropics is especially threatening because of the heavy reliance on seafood in those regions. Day 21 after Hurricane Katrina. Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, September 19, 2005

The climate crisis is resulting in more frequent downpours around

the world, but the geographic distribution and the periodicity of rainfall have also been altered. As the water cycle is disrupted, some areas are receiving big increases in precipitation, while others are receiving much less. While much more precipitation falls in big storm events, the period of time between rainfalls has also been increasing in many regions. And during the intervals between rainfalls the higher air temperatures suck more moisture from the first several centimeters of the soil, leading to deeper and longer droughts. Driven by these droughts and warmer temperatures, there has

been a dramatic increase in fires and a radical extension of the “fire season” (in the western United States, for example, the annual fire season has already increased by 105 days).

Firefighters are now having to deal with a new phenomenon they call “mega-fires.” These extremely large fires are particularly severe in the northern boreal forests of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. The higher temperatures have also greatly increased the damage to forests from pine beetles and bark beetles, which survive milder winters in greater numbers and reproduce more generations during the longer summers. When they attack trees weakened by drought, they end up devastating millions of acres of forestland, turning them into kindling for the larger fires. Firefighters battle the Rim Fire. Yosemite National Park, California, August 25, 2013

The seasonal timing of rainfall patterns has become more erratic

and less predictable, which has had a harsh impact on subsistence farmers who depend on rain-fed agriculture. Especially in the tropics and subtropics, many farmers report that they can no longer rely on the age-old rainy season/dry season pattern that previous generations counted on to decide when to plant and when to harvest. Because the larger downpours rush off the surface of the land,

carrying larger amounts of topsoil with them, the underground aquifers beneath are not being replenished as efficiently as they are by more regular, gentler rains. And because higher temperatures increase the need for water—by plants and animals, in agriculture and energy production, and for human consumption—growing populations in many regions have begun to rely more heavily on underground aquifers, depleting those sources more rapidly than they are replenished. Increasing temperatures are also accelerating the melting and

breakup of land-based ice—in mountain glaciers, and more significantly, in Greenland and Antarctica—thus accelerating sea .level rise and threatening the inundation of low-lying coastal areas where hundreds of millions of people live. Food supplies are also being threatened by the climate crisis. Higher temperatures are already decreasing crop yields of corn, wheat, rice, and other staples. Diseases affecting humans have become more threatening

because of the climate crisis. The so-called “vectors” that carry many infectious diseases—such as mosquitoes, ticks, snails, algae, and others—are extending their range in a warmer and wetter world. Viruses such as Zika, dengue fever, and West Nile virus, among others, incubate faster. Climate has always mediated the relationship between human

beings and microbes. Indeed, some historians have suggested that civilizations in higher latitudes have more readily flourished because they are relatively freer from the overburden of microbial diseases that are much more prevalent in the hotter and wetter regions of the lower latitudes of the tropics and subtropics. According to Princeton’s Andrew Dobson, “Climate change is disrupting natural ecosystems in a way that is making life better for infectious diseases.”

One of the most startling examples of the new threat from tropical

diseases is the recent outbreak of a mutated form of the Zika virus that causes microcephaly and other serious birth defects. Zika is also the first mosquito-borne disease known to be sexually transmitted by humans. Although air travel has played a large role in the spread of tropical diseases, the changing climate conditions have given them a chance to take root in regions where they never thrived previously. For all of these reasons, and more, the answer to the question

“Must we change?” is abundantly clear: “Yes!” Indeed, some scientists have warned that if we do not change, the future of human civilization itself is at dire risk. But here is the good news: the answer to the second question

—“Can we change?”—is also a resounding “Yes!” In just the past 10 years the cost of clean, renewable solar energy and wind energy has fallen so quickly that in a growing number of regions throughout the world, it is now cheaper than electricity made from the burning of fossil fuels—and the cost continues to decline year by year. Some areas of technology—such as computer chips, flat screen

televisions, and mobile telephones—respond to research and development spending in an almost magical manner. Not only does the cost go down much faster than anyone expected, the quality goes up at the same time. Consider, for example, what has happened with cell phones: in

1980, AT&T took note of the new technology that led to the first bulky mobile telephones and asked one of the world’s leading market research companies, McKinsey, to predict for them how many such mobile phones they might be able to sell by the year 2000.

They were excited to get the answer that they could probably count on selling 900,000 such phones. When the year 1999 arrived, the telephone industry did sell 900,000 mobile phones—in the first three days of the year!

By the end of the year, 109 million phones had been sold—120 times more than predicted. Smoke rises from a factory in Chiba province, a hub for Japanese industry. Soga City, Japan, February 14, 2008

The cost had come down far more quickly than anyone

anticipated, even as the quality of the phones increased dramatically, with many more features packed into a much smaller form factor. Moreover, these cell phones proved especially popular in developing countries, where landline telephone grids had never been built in the first place. The people in those regions simply leapfrogged the technology on which the wealthy countries were still dependent. The same thing is now happening with renewable energy,

especially solar. Panels are being installed on the roofs of grass huts in Africa and South Asia—and on rooftops throughout the world. Utility-scale “solar farms” are producing electricity at even lower rates. In fact, some of the new contracts for large solar farms signed in 2016 provide electricity at rates less than half the cost of the cheapest electricity generated from the burning of coal or natural gas. And the price continues to decline rapidly. This Japanese solar power plant will supply energy to approximately 22,000 homes. Kagoshima, Japan, August 13, 2015

As a result, just as the early predictions of growth in the number

of cell phones were badly wrong, so were the best predictions made 15 years ago on the spread of solar and wind energy. For the year 2016 in the United States, 70 percent of all new

electricity-generating capacity came from solar and wind. Less than two-tenths of 1 percent came from coal. And in a growing number of areas, solar electricity is now beating proposals to generate electricity from the most efficient forms of gas turbines. To brighten the renewable energy story still further, the cost of

battery storage is also now beginning to rapidly decline. This is particularly important, because more efficient, cheaper batteries can solve the so-called “intermittency” disadvantage of renewable sources—that is, they can continue providing electricity at nighttime when the sun doesn’t shine and during periods of the day when the wind is slack. As Noah Smith, a Bloomberg View columnist, wrote, “Solar-plus-batteries is set to begin a dramatic transformation of human civilization.”

Non-polluting electric vehicles are also beginning to make

inroads in the transportation sector of the economy. While their percentage of the vehicle fleet is still small, demand is growing rapidly and competition is driving virtually every major vehicle manufacturer to introduce more affordable models in the next 12 months. The leading electric vehicle manufacturer in the United States, Tesla, has just surpassed General Motors and Ford to become the most valuable car company in the nation. Homeowners with solar panels on their rooftops and an electric car in their garages are already paying less than the equivalent of $1 per gallon in gasoline costs. Electric buses are predicted to take over from diesel buses in major cities over the next decade. Moreover, by using the powerful new digital tools now available in

our civilization—including the fast-growing “Internet of Things”— industrial and business managers are achieving much higher levels of efficiency in the use of energy and natural materials. Thousands of new technology solutions are spreading rapidly through the global economy. LED lighting is displacing incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent light bulbs at an unprecedented rate in what is now being called perhaps the fastest technology transformation in any market sector in the history of the world. Smoke billows from a coal plant at sunset. Portugal

In fact, taken together, the spread of renewable energy, battery

storage, electric vehicles, LEDs, and the thousands of new hyper-efficiency solutions all make up what many are now referring to as “The Sustainability Revolution.” It combines the scale of the Industrial Revolution with the speed of the Digital Revolution. The fossil fuel industry, which is already engaged in a losing,

rearguard battle to confuse people into thinking that the climate crisis isn’t real, is also engaging in what some have described as “a strange new form of denial”—an effort to convince people that the renewable energy revolution is trivial and meaningless. In their failing efforts to both persuade people the crisis isn’t real and that solar and wind energy are not cost-effective solutions to it, they bring to mind the famous scene in the Marx Brothers movie Duck Soup, in which Chico asked, “Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?”

Importantly, investors around the world are ignoring the fossil fuel

industry’s arguments and are now shifting resources massively into renewable energy and are financing the highly profitable Sustainability Revolution. As the renewable energy industry has flourished, the market capitalization of the global coal industry has fallen almost 90 percent in the past seven years. And with the International Energy Agency warning that two-thirds

of the proven reserves held by oil and gas companies can never be burned—lest human civilization be destroyed—investors are beginning to realize that they are in danger of the kind of financial catastrophe that was caused in 2007–2008, when the value of subprime mortgages was suddenly discovered to be worthless. In the same way, “subprime carbon assets” now pose a serious threat to the stability of the global economy. And smart investors are moving quickly to minimize their exposure to this historic risk. Workers walk past the vast cluster of solar panels at the Gujarat Solar Park. Gujarat, India, April 14, 2012

It is also important to note that the conventional air pollutants

from the burning of coal and other fossil fuels that accompany CO 2 emissions—including particulates and sulfur dioxide—have now reached intolerable levels in many cities around the world— especially in China and India—where people are becoming desperate to reduce the levels of pollution. The health problems associated with air pollution are driving political unrest in some areas as people become more aware of the dangers they face. So the answer to the second question—“Can we change?”—is

clearly “Yes.”

But that leaves the third and final question: “Will we change?”

Greeting activists at the 2014 People’s Climate March. New York, New York, September 21, 2014

I am convinced that the answer to this question is also “Yes.” The

global agreement reached in Paris at the end of 2015 is encouraging not only because of the universal commitment from governments but also because it amplified the signal to investors, industries, businesses, and institutions that the entire world is poised to move quickly to a sustainable and renewable future. This transformation has already begun and is picking up speed. The Paris Agreement also calls for regular five-year reviews of the commitments made by the nations that are party to the agreement to encourage them to increase their commitments to emission reductions as the new technologies become ever cheaper and as opposition to the pollution from fossil fuels grows ever stronger. Many state, provincial, regional, and local governments are

already moving faster than national governments. A growing number of cities in the United States have succeeded in obtaining 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources, and many regions around the world are making similar progress. While the answer to “Will we change?” is almost certainly “Yes,” it

is not yet clear that we will change rapidly enough to avoid the catastrophic damage we must avoid. Yet it is abundantly clear that we can avoid it if we accelerate the pace of transformation. And that is why, in the TRUTH TO POWER section, you will find

an action handbook for anyone who wants to be a part of the answer to the biggest question our civilization has ever confronted. Because many governments in the world—especially the United

States government in 2017—are still controlled by fossil fuel interests, the growing citizen activist movement pushing for more rapid change is actually the most important movement in world history. As I have traveled the world, including during the filming of An

Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, the companion film to this book, I have heard over and over again a hunger on the part of everyday citizens to engage in this struggle for the future of our civilization. And that gives me hope every day. If you want to be a part of this historic change, you will find in the

following pages not only a more detailed description of the crisis and its solutions but also a list of actions that you can take to join the climate movement and ensure that we will change—and that we will change in time. The original Rapa Nui people of Easter Island, who created these statues, nearly disappeared due to the exhaustion of natural resources in the area. Easter Island, Chile, January 1998

OceanofPDF. com

TRUTH TO POWER

There’s a hunger for information about

what’s happening, why it’s happening,

and how we can fix it. Ten years ago, I

launched a training program, the Climate

Reality Project, for anyone who wanted to

learn how to communicate to others the

threat of and solutions to the climate

crisis. What follows are selections from

that training program. I always start my trainings by showing this photo, Earthrise. This was the first picture that humans saw of the Earth taken from space. It had a profound impact on the consciousness of humanity. This was the first time that human beings left near-Earth orbit and went far enough into space to see the planet whole, floating in the void. Earth, with the lunar landscape in the foreground. Apollo 8 mission, December 24, 1968

Our perspective on the ground looking up at the sky can mislead us. We see the atmosphere as a vast and limitless expanse. But scientists have long known what this picture from the International Space Station shows: the sky is actually an extremely thin shell surrounding our planet. That is what makes it so vulnerable to human activities. If you could drive straight up in a car at highway speeds, you’d be in outer space in under an hour. We put 110 million tons of global warming pollution into this very thin space every day. One reason we’ve failed to recognize the damage we’re doing is that we’ve assumed it’s fine to use our atmosphere as an open sewer. Earth’s atmosphere, from the International Space Station. June 2014

The basic science of global warming is straightforward, but it is important to understand it fully. Energy from the sun enters the Earth’s atmosphere as light. The wavelength of light is very short, so it cuts right through the atmosphere and it warms the planet. Then, that heat energy is radiated back into space in the form of infrared radiation, which has a longer wavelength. Some of that outgoing infrared radiation is trapped by the natural layer of greenhouse gases, which has long been just the right thickness for supporting life. It keeps the temperatures on Earth within a comfortable range: not too hot like Venus, and not too cold like Mars. The Earth’s natural greenhouse gas layer is now being transformed, mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. This pollution makes the layer thicker, which traps more outgoing infrared radiation, also known as heat. In 2006, when An Inconvenient Truth was released, the concentration of CO in the atmosphere had reached 382 parts per 2

million—up from a preindustrial level of 280 ppm. In March 2017, the level reached an all-time high of 409.5 ppm. Many scientists believe that a “safe” level for humanity is 350 ppm. CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION MEASURED AT MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY, HAWAII

SOURCE: SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY

Common sources of greenhouse gases include agriculture, mining, and the burning of forests. But the principal source is the burning of carbon-based fuels. After World War II, the use of fossil fuels began to increase dramatically. In recent years, it has accelerated even more. This is the heart of the problem. If we solve this, it will be much easier to address the other sources. DEEP DIVE

Why Do the Scientists Feel So

Strongly?

As the climate changes, so do a variety of wind and ocean

patterns, along with the distribution of plant and animal life. That’s why the U. S .

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

has tracked 37 different indicators of climate change on land

and over water, including surface temperature, bird wintering

ranges, and coastal flooding. Taken together, the data collected

paints a picture of our climate and its changing impact on all of

Earth’s systems. But where does this data come from?

What

instruments are used?

In short, how do we really know what’s

happening to the climate now—and what happened to it in the

past?

Ice cores are a good place to start. These long cylinders of

ice are drilled out of the glaciers and ice caps covering

Greenland and Antarctica. The lowest layers of them date back

thousands of years. In fact, the oldest ice core records, from

Antarctica, extend back 800,000 years. The U. S .

National Ice

Core Laboratory is home to more than 17,000 meters of ice

from all over the world that can be used to understand the

planet’s climate history. These layers of ice store tiny bubbles of

air that were trapped by the snow when it fell. By measuring the

ratio of different isotopes of oxygen in these air bubbles,

scientists can re-create both the CO content of the air year by 2

year and the temperature of the air that was trapped. While ice cores enable scientists to build the record of past

millennia, sophisticated, modern tools also allow them to better

understand present and future climate patterns. NASA operates

a fleet of satellites that collect a broad range of climate

information. For example, the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and

Climate Experiment) missions record the steady retreat of ice

sheets in astonishing detail, while the Jason-3, OSTM/Jason-2,

and Jason-1 missions track sea level rise, which has increased

by an average of three inches since 1992.

You can read about

another satellite, DSCOVR, in “DEEP DIVE: Why Are Satellites

Vital to Fight Climate Change?”.

The National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration operates sophisticated data

collection instruments, including underwater drones, buoys, and

shipborne instruments, to measure the oceans’ carbon levels

and temperatures in order to better predict the impacts of

climate change. Other devices used by scientists include

weather balloons, ships, and radar, each of which contribute

their own unique types of data to create a big picture of our

climate at any given time. Scientists use ice cores to measure levels of atmospheric

carbon and other gases trapped in layers of ice. Ross Sea,

Antarctica, November 16, 2011

PROFILE

Katharine Hayhoe

Codirector of Texas Tech University’s Climate Science Center

LUBBOCK, TEXAS

Katharine Hayhow has been married for six months before she

realized that her husband didn’t think climate change was a

scientific fact. “I had no idea that there were people who didn’t agree

with the science,” said Hayhoe, who is the codirector of Texas

Tech University’s Climate Science Center. The realization led the couple to embark on a grueling

debate that would last years. It was ironic, in retrospect,

because Hayhoe was already a rising star in climate modeling,

working at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under

famed researcher Donald Wuebbles in the emerging field of

statistical downscaling. Statistical downscaling combines historical weather

observations with computer models to predict how climate

change will affect a particular geographic region. It’s a field of

study that offers intimate portraits of the climate impacts on

particular communities, which has led Hayhoe to approach her

work with great empathy. “If you discover that your patient has a new, very serious

disorder, you don’t just write a paper about it,” she said. “You

try to help them. You can’t say, ‘Oh, that’s not really my job.’

”

Hayhoe has used her computer models to consult on the

effects of climate change for the cities of Washington, D. C .,

Boulder, Colorado, and Chicago, as well as for the

Department of Defense and the United States Fish and

Wildlife Service. Her recommendations can cover topics

ranging from urban planning considerations like managing

sewers to how storms and droughts will affect agricultural

infrastructure. But the worlds of academia and policy aren’t enough for

Hayhoe, who also goes out of her way to connect with climate

change deniers, often on their home turf. In those ad-hoc

debates, which have played out at symposiums and city

council meetings across the nation, Hayhoe remains

unflappable, and never misses a chance to build bridges to

those she speaks with. And in the end, Hayhoe won the debate with her husband,

who now teaches linguistics at Texas Tech and serves as the

pastor of a small church. In fact, the two ended up coauthoring

a book titled A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts

for Faith-Based Decisions. “We were highly motivated to work it out,” Hayhoe said

dryly. “We were married, and we wanted to stay that way.”

See “Talk with Climate Deniers” for more information about

talking with climate deniers. We are now trapping as much extra heat energy in the atmosphere as would be released by 400,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding on the Earth’s surface every day. We live on a big planet, but that is an unimaginable amount of heat energy. The mushroom cloud from a Hiroshima-class explosion in Operation Upshot-Knothole. Nye County, Nevada, May 25, 1953

It’s getting much warmer very quickly. This classic bell curve shows the distribution of summer air temperatures. Scientists use the 30 years between 1951 and 1980 as a so-called normal period, when there were roughly equal number of days with average temperatures, cooler than average temperatures, and warmer than average temperatures. In the 1980s, the entire curve shifted toward the warm side. And for the first time there were a statistically high number of extremely hot days, showing at the lower right in red. Then in the 1990s, the curve shifted farther to the warm side and a combination of warmer and extremely hot days began to dominate. Over the past 10 years, the extremely hot days have become more numerous than the cooler than average days. In fact, the extremely hot days are now almost 150 times more common than they were just 30 years ago. There are still cold days, but they are far less frequent. SHIFT IN SUMMER TEMPERATURES, 1951–2015

SOURCE: HANSEN, ET AL., 2016

When you combine high temperatures with high humidity, it feels even hotter. The “heat index” is a measure of how hot it actually feels to our bodies. In July 2015, the heat index in Bandar Mahshahr, Iran, reached 74°C (165°F).

“The climate in large parts of the

Middle East and North Africa could …

render some regions uninhabitable,

which will surely contribute to the

pressure to migrate.”

—Jos Lelieveld, director, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

Iranians cool off at the Cheshmeh-Ali pool during a heat wave that caused temperatures to exceed 40°C (104°F).

Shahre-Ray, Iran, July 22, 2016

On his late night show, Jimmy Kimmel said, “You know how you know climate change is real?

When the hottest year on record is whatever year it currently is.”

In fact, 16 of the 17 hottest years ever measured with instruments (a practice that dates back to 1880) have occurred in the past 17 years. And the hottest year of all was 2016.

The second hottest was the year before, and the third hottest was the year before that. GLOBAL LAND AND OCEAN TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES, 1880–2016

SOURCE: NOAA

The streets are melting. We have built civilization for conditions that are now in the process of radically changing. A road melt caused by temperatures exceeding 45°C (113°F).

New Delhi, India, May 24, 2015

In 2003, a European heat wave centered in France killed 70,000 people. In 2015, a heat wave in Pakitstan killed more than 2,000 people. In the same summer, a heat wave in India killed at least 2,500 people. A Pakistani man waits while volunteers search for the body of a deceased relative at the Edhi Foundation morgue. Karachi, Pakistan, June 22, 2015

More than 90 percent of all the heat energy trapped by man-made global warming pollution goes into the ocean. As a result, the buildup of ocean heat content has increased dramatically—especially in the past 25 years—and it is accelerating. A direct consequence is that when ocean-based storms cross warmer ocean waters, they pick up more convection energy. The storms get stronger and more destructive. Super Typhoon Haiyan (known as Yolanda in the Philippines) crossed areas of the Pacific 3°C (5.4 °F) warmer than normal. When it struck the city of Tacloban in the Philippines, it had become the strongest ocean-based storm to ever make landfall. Super Typhoon Haiyan caused 4.1 million refugees, some of whom are still not back in their homes. I traveled to Tacloban and visited some of the graves of the thousands of victims. Families were invited to pick one of these graves and inscribe the name of their loved one on it. SOURCE: L. CHENG, K. E .

TRENBERTH, ET AL., 2017

PATH OF TYPHOON HAIYAN

SOURCE: JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY VIA WEATHER UNDERGROUND

A survivor stands among the wreckage left behind by Super Typhoon Haiyan. Tacloban City, Philippines, November 10, 2013

Visiting the Holy Cross cemetery, which houses the remains of thousands of Typhoon Haiyan victims. Tacloban City, Philippines, March 11, 2016

PROFILE

John Leonard Chan

Climate Reality Leader

TACLOBAN CITY, PHILIPPINES

John Leonard Chan recalled the morning when the typhoon

began. The winds started to tear at his family’s single-story

dwelling in Tacloban, a small city on the Philippine island of

Leyte. By midmorning, floodwaters were rushing into the home. But transportation and communication systems had broken

down during Typhoon Haiyan, so the family stayed put for

two terrifying days before setting off on foot for Chan’s

grandparents’ house. The journey took three hours of climbing

over debris, and Chan remembers seeing dead bodies in the

street. “People were crying, people were screaming,” said Chan,

now 22, of the chaos after the 2013 typhoon. “Nobody knew

what to do.”

The family eventually secured enough food to survive for

five days until they were evacuated to Manila, where they

have lived ever since. As his family adjusted to life in Manila, Chan became

increasingly concerned with how climate change might have

given rise to Haiyan, one of the most powerful cyclones in the

history of the world. “That’s what made me interested in giving voice that

climate change is real,” he said. “I’m a firsthand survivor of

an effect of climate change. I think my voice will be

interesting to others.”

In 2016, I met Chan at the Climate Reality Project’s three-

day training session in Manila, where he became a climate

leader. Since then, he has also joined the Philippine Youth

Climate Movement, a student group that raises awareness

about climate change at home and abroad, and has given

seminars about the science of global warming at high schools

in Manila. Chan is also leveraging his education into opportunities to

more deeply study the effects of climate change. He’s

currently enrolled in a microbiology program at the University

of the Philippines Los Baños, and last year he returned to the

Tacloban area to study how the typhoon has impacted ocean

life in the region. Chan isn’t sure yet what he intends to do after graduate

school. But he’s sure of one thing: he’s going to continue to do

everything in his power to give voice to the victims of climate

change. “There are people suffering because of climate change,”

he said. “People around the world need to hear from people

from Tacloban, so they can understand that climate change is

real.”

Turn the page to learn more about the Climate Reality Project. DEEP DIVE

What Is The Climate Reality

Project?

Climate Reality: How It Began

When An Inconvenient Truth was released back in 2006, no

one knew what to expect. I hoped it would spark a conversation

but certainly didn’t expect the incredible response and

enthusiasm from people across the globe wanting to take action

to solve the climate crisis. These were people who’d probably never thought of

themselves as activists, but now that they understood what the

climate crisis meant for the planet and the people they loved,

they wanted to make a difference. So I invited 50 people to come to my farm in Tennessee and

trained them—in the barn—to use the slideshow in the movie

and talk to others about the crisis and how to solve it. Climate Reality: Its Work Today

What began on that day in the barn has grown to become The

Climate Reality Project, an international nonprofit with

headquarters in the U. S .

and branches in Australia, Brazil,

Canada, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the

Philippines, and Africa. Our mission is daunting but simple: catalyze a global

solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a

necessity across every level of society. We’ve grown and changed a lot since those early days. But

what hasn’t changed is our commitment to training and

empowering regular people to change the world. One

conversation at a time. Now we train thousands each year in multiday events, not in

barns but in cities from Denver to Delhi. The people who come

as concerned citizens leave as world changers we call Climate

Reality Leaders. Today, this global network of more than 12,000

activists (and counting) is out there spreading the word and

organizing friends, neighbors, and communities for climate

solutions in 136 countries. Of course, today, the conversation online is also important. With social media a critical battlefield in the fight not just for

hearts and minds, but for the very idea of truth—upon which

democracy is founded—we give people the digital tools to

combat climate denial, share good news about solutions, and

put real pressure on policy makers. The story doesn’t end there. Our 100% Committed

campaign enlists citizens to help cities, colleges, and

businesses switch to 100 percent renewable electricity. We hold

Days of Action where people take over the streets to build

public support for key policies that accelerate the switch to

clean energy and protect our climate. And because we approach our work as I’ve always done—

speaking to people where they’re at and speaking truth to

power—we’re building a movement of activists capable of

incredible things and winning against the odds around the

world. We saw it in Florida in 2016, when the fossil fuel industry

tried to kill solar with a misleading ballot initiative. Along with

others, we shared the truth about how solar could cut costs and

create jobs. Voters responded, defeating the initiative and

winning a resounding victory for Florida and our planet. We’re seeing it on college campuses around the world,

where young student activists are pushing their schools to

choose a clean energy future and shift to 100 percent

renewable electricity through our 100% Committed campaign. Colorado State University, Plymouth State University,

Hampshire College, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens

Point have already made the commitment and more are on the

way. This is only part of our story and it’s only beginning. You can

be a part of the next chapter. So if you’re ready to make a

difference, visit climaterealityproject. org to join Climate Reality

and we’ll show you how. Climate Reality Leadership Corps

WHAT: Trains citizens to become powerful change agents. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Climate Reality Leaders led successful

campaigns to push Brazil to ratify the Paris Agreement and

protect clean energy in Florida. GET INVOLVED: climaterealityproject. org /training

Climate Speakers Network

WHAT: Trains community leaders as climate storytellers. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Thousands of faith, business, health,

Latino, and African-American leaders become trusted

messengers. GET INVOLVED: climatespeakers. org

24 Hours of Reality

WHAT: 24-hour global broadcast highlighting the crisis and how

we solve it for millions. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: 30 million live views online in 187 nations

(2016).

GET INVOLVED: 24hoursofreality. org

100% Committed

WHAT: Organizes cities, college campuses, businesses, ski

resorts, and institutions to switch to 100 percent renewable

electricity. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Salt Lake City, Park City, and Moab in

Utah have committed to 100 percent renewable electricity. GET INVOLVED: climaterealityproject. org /content/roadmap-100 When An Inconvenient Truth came out, the most criticized scene was an animation showing that the combination of sea level rise and storm surge would put ocean water into the 9/11 Memorial site, which was then under construction. Some climate deniers said that was ridiculous, an exaggeration. Digital Action

WHAT: Digital tools to raise awareness of climate solutions and

pressure lawmakers to act. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: United over 2.2 million people in calling for

action at COP 21, helping create overwhelming public pressure

leading to the historic Paris Agreement. GET INVOLVED: climaterealityproject. org /joinreality;

facebook. com /climatereality; twitter. com /climatereality

The Climate Reality Project logo, which includes the iconic

Blue Marble photo. Superstorm Sandy crossed areas of the Atlantic 5°C (9°F) warmer than normal and became a monstrous storm. On the night of October 29, 2012, seawater flooded the 9/11 Memorial site. Projected flooding of the 9/11 Memorial site from An Inconvenient Truth (2006).

Actual flooding of the Memorial site from Superstorm Sandy (2012).

A satellite image of Superstorm Sandy off the east coast of the United States. Atlantic Ocean, October 29, 2015

Seawater floods the 9/11 Memorial construction site in New York during Superstorm Sandy. New York, New York, October 29, 2012

Months after Superstorm Sandy, a roller coaster still sits in the ocean. Seaside Heights, New Jersey, February 25, 2013

A storm brews above the Atlantic Ocean. Cape San Blas, Florida, August 2, 2012

A second-order consequence of the oceans heating up is the disruption of the global water cycle. When ocean temperatures go up, the water vapor rising from the ocean increases significantly. Moreover, warmer air can hold a lot more water vapor. For each additional 1°C (1.8 °F) of temperature, the atmosphere’s capacity to hold water vapor increases by 7 percent. There is already 4 percent more water vapor over the oceans than there was just 30 years ago. THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

This added water vapor can strengthen what are called atmospheric rivers (or “flying rivers”)—flows of water vapor hundreds of miles wide that can carry 15 times as much water as the Mississippi River. When atmospheric rivers reach the continents, they often release record-breaking downpours. When a complex system has many consequences and you change the system, all of the consequences change. That means every storm is different now because it takes place in a warmer and wetter world. Water vapor is often funneled thousands of miles from the oceans over land. Then, much more of it falls all at once. They are calling these events rain bombs. An atmospheric river drenching the western United States— seen from the NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite. Pacific Ocean, February 20, 2017

An intense downpour drenches the American southwest. Phoenix, Arizona, July 18, 2016

Extreme weather events are happening with much greater frequency. In a single year, Houston, Texas, was hit by two 1-in-500-year floods and a 1-in-1,000-year downpour. What used to be a 500-year flood is not that anymore. Nayelo Cervantes helps her friend’s daughter, Sophia Aviles, through the floodwaters after a huge downpour. Houston, Texas, May 26, 2015

A woman cleans the inside windows of her bar after the Foss and Ouse Rivers burst their banks, causing the city to flood. York, United Kingdom, December 28, 2015

PROFILE

Catherine Flowers

Founder of the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Catherine Flowers was a young girl in Birmingham during the

Civil Rights Movement, and she vividly remembers when

terrorists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church. Her family

later moved to nearby Lowndes County, in Alabama’s Black

Belt, where they embraced the tight-knit rural community. “My parents had their own vegetable garden,” Flowers

said. “When you went to their home, it was customary to give

you something from their garden.”

Flowers soon noticed something unsettling about the local

cotton industry, which dated back to the days of slave

plantations. When the farmers sprayed their crops with DDT,

she would soon see dead birds and snakes in the road nearby. The images of these dead animals stayed with her, even

after she left Lowndes County to serve in the Air Force. Years

later, when she was working as a social studies teacher, she

came across a map predicting how the United States would be

reshaped if the polar ice caps melted. Eventually, she started

to take note of devastating storms, invasive species, and

summers that seemed to go on and on. She became a

committed environmentalist. “As a grandparent, I’m concerned,” said Flowers, who has

come to see deep connections between race, poverty,

spirituality, and the environment. “That’s one part of why I’m

in this movement. I don’t want my grandchild to wake up and

realize the apocalypse was man-made.”

In 2000, when she returned to Lowndes after decades

away, she was horrified to discover how little the area’s legacy

of inequality had changed. Poverty was widespread, public

health was poor, and the infrastructure was crumbling. Lowndes was particularly troubled by substandard wastewater

sanitization treatment resources, which she came to suspect

were related to outbreaks of hookworm and other parasitic

diseases. Flowers started going door-to-door to survey the

community about sewage and sanitation. What she found

shocked her: raw sewage that bubbled up into residents’

bathtubs and yards when it rained, poor access to the

municipal sewer, and a sewage sprayfield that overflowed into

a local creek. These findings were bolstered by a 2011 United

Nations report about sanitation and water quality in the United

States that highlighted dire conditions in the Black Belt. She

also noticed that the heavier rainstorms caused by the climate

crisis were making the sewage overflow problems much

worse. “We found that there was no wastewater infrastructure,”

Flowers said. “We also found that people were being arrested

because they could not afford on-site septic tanks.”

Flowers founded a nonprofit, the Alabama Center for

Rural Enterprise, which advocates for better basic

infrastructure in the area. In 2012, she read an op-ed in the

New York Times by Peter Hotez, a tropical disease researcher

at Baylor College, who decried domestic outbreaks of dengue

fever, cysticercosis, toxocariasis, and other illnesses specific

to the developing world. The two are now working together to

test for tropical disease in Alabama. “One of the most extreme examples of inequality in this

country is finding tropical parasites in one of the wealthiest

nations in the world,” Flowers explained. “Wherever you see

this in the world, you find poverty.”

Flowers has also had a long-standing interest in the ways

that spirituality can inform discussions of racial justice,

poverty, and environmentalism. Since 2015, she’s augmented

her community work in Alabama with a position at Union

Theological Seminary’s Center for Earth Ethics, where she

works with my daughter, Karenna Gore, to encourage

religious communities to engage with climate issues and to

create partnerships between secular and faith-based

environmental leaders. “The Center for Earth Ethics is about helping religious and

spiritual leaders understand and articulate to their

congregations the science of climate change,” Flowers said. “I

think it’s been very powerful.”

Last year, Flowers visited the camp at Standing Rock,

where people were demonstrating against the Dakota Access Scientists say that the United States could see a 400 percent increase in extreme downpours by the end of this century. The same pattern is true globally. Pipeline. She observed a series of ceremonies honoring water

and the Earth that made a lasting impact on her. She recalled

how struck she was by activists from such diverse

backgrounds all coming together to celebrate the universal

importance of clean and safe water. The Standing Rock Sioux

captured this powerful truth with their saying “Water Is Life.”

“I’m very hopeful,” she said. “I’m very hopeful because

we have people talking about these things now. It has brought

us together in a way that’s never happened before.”

Poor wastewater infrastructure causes sewage to overflow

into a creek and contaminate the local water supply. Uniontown, Alabama, May 21, 2015

Predictions of our future can no longer be based on our past. WORLDWIDE EXTREME WEATHER CATASTROPHES, 1980–2016

SOURCE: INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE

The same extra heat that is evaporation water off the oceans is also sucking the moisture out of the soil, causing more droughts, deeper droughts, and longer droughts. Historic droughts in eastern and southern Africa are contributing to a region-wide famine, putting 20 million people at risk. The United Nations has called this emerging tragedy the worst humanitarian disaster since 1945.

Livestock are often the first affected by drought due to lack of adequate grazing land. Maras, Ethiopia, February 4, 2016

More than 400 Indian farmers committed suicide in the first four months of 2016, due mainly to pressures from the region’s ongoing drought. The dry bed of the Manjara Dam reservoir, which is supposed to supply water to several towns and villages. Near Kaij, India, May 10, 2016

Where there’s drought, the vegetation dries out and fires increase. Fires are becoming much larger and occurring much more frequently. It is unprecedented. Aggravated by drought and high temperatures, wildfires burn in the Angeles National Forest. Los Angeles, California, June 20, 2016

In Fort McMurray, the heart of Canadian tar sands production, 100,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes because of a 1.5 million acre wildfire in 2016.

The temperature in the area was 22.2 °C (40°F) above normal, and most of the trees had been killed by bark beetles. All production from the tar sands came to a halt. The amount of forestland burned in Canada has doubled since the 1970s. It’s expected to double again, or even quadruple, because of climate change. The linkage between high temperatures, drought, and fire is extremely well established. NUMBER OF LARGE FIRES IN THE WESTERN U. S .

SOURCE: NOAA, US FORESTRY SERVICE, CLIMATE CENTRAL

A wildfire threatens Highway 63, causing drivers to abandon their vehicles. Fort McMurray, Canada, May 7, 2016

Following a historic drought in 2010, wildfires and a record heatwave killed 55,000 people in Russia. After these fires, Russia took all of its grain off world markets and Ukraine restricted its grain exports. World food prices hit an all-time record level for the second time in three years. These two price spikes caused food riots or civil unrest in 60 countries. FOOD PRICE INDEX

SOURCE: UN FAO

A woman flees one of a wave of forest fires that devastated central Russia. Near Vyksa, Russia, July 29, 2010

As food prices hit a record peak, a food vendor in Tunisia set himself on fire and touched off the Arab Spring, which began an upheaval throughout the region. Rioters clash with police. Tunis, Tunisia, January 14, 2011

Look at what has happened in Syria. From 2006 to 2010, the country had a record-breaking drought. Sixty percent of all the farms in Syria were destroyed. Eighty percent of all the livestock were killed. The drought drove 1.5 million people into Syria’s already crowded cities. Syrian officials said that the effects of the drought were “beyond our capacity as a country to deal with.”

The gates of hell opened in Syria. There are multiple causes for the civil war there, but the principal underlying cause was the climate-related drought (the worst in 900 years) that devastated that country. “I had 400 acres of wheat, and now it’s

all desert.”

—Ahmed Abdullah, Syrian farmer

Syrian farmer Ahmed Abdullah looks out onto a landscape that is turning barren due to drought. Al Raqqa, Syria, September 23, 2010

The climate-related drought throughout the Middle East and North African region is contributing to a tremendous flow of refugees. “Climate change will likely lead to

food and water shortages, pandemic

disease, disputes over refugees and

resources, and destruction by natural

disasters in regions across the

globe.”

—U. S .

Department of Defense, 2014

Migrants try to board a train traveling west from the Croatian border with Serbia. Tovarnik, Croatia, September 20, 2015

Migrants off the coast of Libya, hoping to be rescued by members of the NGO Proactiva Open Arms. Mediterranean Sea, October 4, 2016

PROFILE

Nana Firman

Climate Reality Leader

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA

When Nana Firman her husband moved to California in 2012,

they attended the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, a

local mosque. But in the evenings during Ramadan, Firman

noticed that the congregation was using disposable dishware

and throwing out a lot of food. It bothered Firman, who has been a committed

environmentalist since her days as a city planner helping

rebuild her native Indonesia after the tsunami that devastated

the Aceh region in 2004.

So she arranged a meeting with the mosque leadership to

discuss how they could reduce waste and take climate change

seriously. But since she was new to the community, she

decided to prepare by poring over the Quran for verses

advocating a sustainable lifestyle. “I’m a Muslim, so I went back to my own faith to study

what Islamic teachings said about protecting the

environment,” she said. “I used that language as a narrative.”

The pitch was successful: the board of directors committed

to celebrating a “Green Ramadan” the following year, and

eventually ended up installing solar panels on the mosque’s

roof. The Imam was so impressed that he suggested Firman

hold a talk about sustainability for the congregation. The talk went over well, and Firman ended up holding

similar presentations about the connections between her faith

and environmentalism at five other mosques in the area. Picking up momentum, she started writing about the topic for

Muslim publications and delivered a TEDx talk in France. She also became a fellow at GreenFaith, an interfaith

nonprofit that advocates for environmental leadership in

religious communities. “In a lot of ways, we have the same problems,” she said of

her interfaith colleagues at GreenFaith. “Everybody wants to

have more efficiency in their house of worship.”

The thought she has put into the connections between

Islam and conservation, Firman says, has deepened both her

commitment to climate progress and her understanding of her

own religion. “The prophet taught people to plant trees,” she said. “If

tomorrow is the end of the world, and you have a seedling in

your hand, you should plant it. You should always have hope.”

These solar panels offset 100 percent of the mosque’s

annual electric use. San Diego, California, October 2016

When any great moral

challenge is ultimately

resolved into a binary choice

between what is right and

what is wrong, the outcome

is foreordained because of

who we are as human beings. When we upset the balance of nature, we must understand that the consequences can be more severe than simply higher temperatures. Many interrelationships are profoundly affected. An example is our globally integrated food system. The crops we eat today were patiently selected over hundreds of generations during the Stone Age. These food crops thrive in the natural conditions in which they evolved. Now that we are changing those conditions, many of these crops are becoming stressed, especially by higher temperatures. And they are not giving us the same yields or nutrient quality. THE IMPACT OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS ON FOOD

Research shows that when temperatures go above a certain level, it causes significant drops in food crop yields. In China, we have already seen a decline in wheat and corn yields of 5 percent in the past three decades. In the U. S ., the yields for corn could drop by one-third from heat stress alone. Wheat yields could drop by more than one-fifth. A Mexican farmer shows corn that has died due to lack of rain. Pocoboch, Yucatan

Everything—people, crops, energy production, industry, and animals —requires more water when the temperature goes up. In many areas of the world, water scarcity is one of the single most serious aspects of the climate crisis. Higher temperatures increase the demand for water. About 11 percent of consumption of the world’s freshwater is used in our homes, about 19 percent by industry, and 70 percent by agriculture. GLOBAL WATER USE

Cows roam a drought-ridden landscape at a cattle range in California’s Central Valley. Delano, California, February 3, 2014

The even more complex systems of human and public health are also being stressed by climate change, which has been declared a global health emergency by the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. We have recently seen some of the dangers scientists have predicted beginning to get more severe. “The effects of climate change are

being felt today, and future

projections represent an

unacceptably high and potentially

catastrophic risk to human health.”

—The Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, April 2015

THE IMPACT OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS ON HUMAN HEALTH

PROFILE

Susan Pacheco

Pediatrician and Climate Reality Leader

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Drawing on her decades of experience as a pediatrician, Susan

Pacheco has a simple message for doctors everywhere: the

health of the environment affects the health of their patients. She points to research associating heat waves with

elevated numbers of emergency room visits, air pollution with

developmental problems in children, and natural disasters with

population-wide spikes in depression, anxiety, and post-

traumatic stress disorder. And those ailments, she worries,

could be just the tip of the iceberg. “There’s heart disease, there’s lung disease, there’s kidney

disease,” said Pacheco, a professor of pediatrics at the

University of Texas McGovern Medical School. “Every organ

system can be affected by climate change. When I say that, I

get goosebumps.”

Pacheco, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, didn’t

become concerned with climate science until 2006.

Her eldest

son was learning about climate change in school, so she took

the family to see An Inconvenient Truth. This trip to the theater proved to be a wake-up call. She

had never paid much attention to climate science, but after

seeing the movie she found herself preoccupied by it. As time

passed, she decided she needed to take action, and applied to

take part in the second-ever Climate Reality Leadership

Corps, a training program I led in Nashville in 2006.

It wasn’t until she returned home to Houston and started

giving her own presentations that Pacheco found her niche. She began to familiarize herself with the body of research on

how the climate affects health, and she was startled by the

gravity of what she learned. Beyond the obvious concerns about extreme heat and

pollution, researchers worry that extended allergy seasons

could disrupt the functioning of our immune systems, and

higher temperatures allow mosquitoes and ticks to spread

diseases for a longer period than ever before. High carbon

dioxide levels can even affect the nutritional value of crops. Pacheco became convinced she could see the effects in her

own clinic’s waiting room, in the Texas children she saw

suffering from asthma, heat sensitivity, and allergies. Children

and the elderly, she discovered, tend to be the most vulnerable. And while many adults have lived for years in an environment

less affected by climate change, today’s youth will grow up

with an entire lifetime of exposure. The potential for damage

and illness, she suspects, is much higher. She decided that those vulnerable populations needed an

advocate inside the health care system, and she started to

adapt her presentation for the task of educating other

physicians about the health implications of the changing

climate. “The knowledge about climate change in the health

community was almost nonexistent,” she said. “So that’s what

I’ve been doing since that time: working to educate and build

awareness in the health sector.”

In the years since, she has spoken in dozens of

professional settings, to ethnic and religious organizations, to

family groups, and, above all, to health care practitioners. At

first, some fellow doctors resisted her message. Her own

father suggested, pointedly, that she spend more time focusing

on her medical career and less on the environment. But as time went on and the national conversation around

the climate shifted, Pacheco found the medical community to

be more and more receptive. A key victory has been that

medical schools have started to integrate the health effects of

climate change into their curricula, starting with her own

students at McGovern. Pacheco also founded the Texas Coalition for Climate

Change Awareness, a network dedicated to educating

communities across the state about the threats of climate

change, and penned newspaper editorials in both English and

Spanish about the importance of EPA regulations. She worked

with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on

Environmental Health to publish a policy statement about the

importance of considering the environment in pediatric health. Some authorities have started to take notice of Pacheco’s

efforts. Last year, 13 federal agencies collaborated on a report

concluding that climate change is a “significant threat” to the

health of Americans. “The changes are happening right now,” said former U. S .

surgeon general Vivek Murthy. “Climate change is going to

impact health, and it’s not a pretty picture.”

In 2013, the White House bestowed Pacheco with the

illustrious “Champions of Change” award in recognition of

her efforts. “I want to educate,” she said. “I will talk to as

many people as I can.” And she doesn’t intend to rest until the

entire medical establishment has taken note. Pacheco teaches a young patient how to use a

stethoscope. Houston, Texas, March 2016

See “Give Your Own Climate Change Presentation” for

advice on adapting the Climate Reality presentation for your

own passions. One major consequence of the climate crisis is that the balance between human beings and microbes is being upended. Climate change means the “vectors” that carry diseases, including mosquitoes and ticks, have a wider range. In central China, the reemergence of malaria is directly related to increased temperatures and disruptive rainfalls. In the United States, the range of the Aedes aegypti mosquito is extending northward. This is the principal mosquito that carries the Zika virus. In addition, the life cycles of both Aedes aegypti and the Zika virus have been accelerated by warmer temperatures, increasing the time available for transmission of the virus. AEDES AEGYPTI LIFE CYCLE

CURRENT RANGE OF AEDES AEGYPTI IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

In several countries in South America and Central America affected by Zika, doctors advised women not to get pregnant for two years. Telling women that they should not get pregnant until we have this under control—that is a message that is new in the history of the human race. At 37 weeks pregnant, this mother is at risk of her baby having birth defects due to the Zika virus. San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 3, 2016

The burning of carbon-based fuels creates not only greenhouse gases but also conventional air pollution. India and China are among the nations facing great health challenges from this dirty air. Worldwide, air pollution kills 6.5 million people every year. Electricity towers on a smoggy day. New Delhi, India, November 30, 2015

PROFILE

Ivy Chipasha

Climate Reality Leader

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

Ivy Chipasha was born in Zambia’s Copperbelt region, where

mineral and emerald mines dot the landscape. She later moved

to the country’s Central Province, where swamplands

surround the mouths of the Lukanga and Kafue Rivers, and

finally to the relatively cosmopolitan Lusaka area, where she

raises four children. In each place, she has witnessed climate

change ravage her homeland. She has seen deforestation menace the country’s

woodlands, which are among the most prolific in Africa. Droughts now alternate unpredictably with heavy rainfall and

flash floods, and the irregular weather has wreaked havoc on

the nation’s hydropower infrastructure, causing outages and

power shedding. “We’ve been hit hard by climate change,” she said

ruefully. Chipasha originally came to environmentalism by way of

her work in the financial sector, where she became convinced

that Africa’s energy future lay in renewables. In 2014, she

attended the Climate Reality Leadership training I led in

Johannesburg, South Africa, and in the years since, she has

given many presentations, often to students in the Lusaka area. She is also a steering committee member of the African

Renewable Energy Alliance, an organization that helps policy

makers, business leaders, and academics make plans for the

continent’s energy future. “If leeway is given to climate change activists, a lot will

change,” she said. “Climate change affects everyone.”

Because the Zambian government has limited financial

resources, Chipasha is also interested in ways that education

and outreach can help individual families conserve. In rural

parts of Zambia, families often still cook using firewood and

charcoal, and the growing demand is putting a strain on the

country’s lush forests. To promote renewable energy in Zambian households, she

founded an organization called the Green Environment

Foundation, which advocates for clean water, conservation,

and lower-impact cooking technologies in Zambian

households. Chipasha was a peer reviewer of “Beyond Fire,” a

report by the World Future Council that was presented at the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in

Morocco last year. One day, Chipasha believes her work will lead to a

brighter environmental future for her children and her country. “I believe that we will win this fight,” she said. “Nothing

is impossible.”

The pollution in 80 percent of China’s cities exceeds what’s considered safe by air-quality standards. In Northern China, life expectancy has gone down 5.5 years because of air pollution. “At the present time … Beijing is not a

livable city.”

—Wang Anshun, former mayor of Beijing, January 23, 2015

A baby with respiratory disease undergoes inhalation therapy. Beijing, China, January 28, 2013

DEEP DIVE

Pollution Monitoring

In July 2008, the U. S .

Embassy in Beijing connected its rooftop

pollutant monitor to a new Twitter account and began

automatically tweeting its data. Using the Twitter handle

@BeijingAir, the hourly tweets followed a simple and uniform

format: date, time, pollutant type, concentration, and air quality

index (AQI).

Beijing’s air quality was already notoriously poor. However,

despite residents’ frequent inability to see the full city skyline

due to smog, official government pronouncements listed the

city’s air pollution as “light.” The discrepancy between official

government pronouncements and Beijing residents’ day-to-day

reality was due to the type of air particles the government

monitored. The most dangerous type of air pollutants are PM2.5 —tiny

particles that measure less than 2.5 microns in diameter, or

about the width of spider silk. These particles are small enough

to enter the lungs and even the blood, where they can wreak

havoc and potentially cause serious heart and lung problems. The Chinese government monitored PM10 pollutants, which are

much larger and much less dangerous. Because of the choice

of particle size, Beijing’s obvious air pollution problem was not

reflected in the official measurements by the Chinese

government. In November 2010, the U. S .

Embassy sent out a tweet

describing Beijing’s air quality as “crazy bad.” The AQI

measures particle pollution on a scale of 1–500, with 301–500

being “hazardous.” That day, the score was quite literally off the

charts, at 562.

The tweet went viral, and although Twitter is

blocked for most users in China, screenshots of it circulated on

other platforms, sparking an uproar in Beijing. The brilliance of the tweets was their simplicity. The account

was only tweeting out data. Aside from the “crazy bad”

categorization, @BeijingAir was not tweeting analysis or

declarations. The account left its tweets to be interpreted by the

reader, therefore it was able to avoid being declared

subversive. The embassy was allowed to continue its pollution

monitoring and tweeting, notwithstanding the fact that their data

directly contradicted the official government story. Local environmental advocates seized upon this new

information. Using the momentum of the viral tweet, they

mobilized Beijing residents to monitor air quality themselves

and to advocate for changes. The Green Beagle Environment

Institute began distributing PM2.5 monitors to local residents. These monitors were about the size of a transistor radio, and

much less expensive than the embassy’s, but they produced

the same data. By 2013, environmental advocates had succeeded in

convincing China to set up hundreds of PM2.5 monitoring

stations in over 70 cities. Additionally, China earmarked

hundreds of billions of dollars for air cleaning and began

implementing policies for air pollution reduction targets in major

cities, most importantly adopting the PM2.5 measurement for

data. Today, Beijing’s AQI rating hovers around the “unhealthy”

score, 151–200.

While there is clearly more work to be done,

it’s a huge change from the “hazardous” and off-the-charts

ratings. Additionally, the increased access to daily data from the

monitoring stations helps residents make important decisions

about everyday activities, like how long their kids can play

outside, or if it’s safe to let elders go out for walks. In an age

when any news source can be branded “fake,” providing the

public with raw, objective data can be a subversive act. U.S .

Embassy air quality tweet. Twitter, January 12, 2013

The Dongbianmen Gate before and after the smog sets in. Beijing, China, January 12, 2013 (before) and January 16,

2013 (after).

PROFILE

Wang Shi

Founder and Chairman of China Vanke

SHENZHEN, CHINA

When Wang Shi was young, he was drawn to stories of

adventure, particularly Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and

Ernest Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro. And it was on Kilimanjaro, years after he became one of

the most successful real estate entrepreneurs in China, that

Wang experienced a wake-up call about climate change. In

2002, when his climbing party reached the peak, he was struck

by the lack of snow. When he returned home and researched

the topic, he discovered that in 20 years the mountain’s snows

could be gone entirely. “I began to notice more signs of climate change, as I

carried on my adventure journeys in other parts of the world,”

said Wang, who, in addition to climbing the highest peaks on

every continent, also serves as the chairman of Vanke, the

largest residential real estate developer in China. Wang began reading more about climate science. He found

that China produces the most carbon emissions of any country

in the world, and that the nation’s construction industry, where

he’d built his career, was responsible for more carbon

emissions than Russia and India combined. After a time, Wang came to believe that he bore a

responsibility, as a prosperous businessperson, to advocate for

environmentalism at home and abroad. “Although China is

growing quickly into the second largest economy, the

industrialization process is taking on big environmental and

social prices,” he said. “I think the current growth model

cannot continue in the long term. Chinese companies and

entrepreneurs are at a crossroads and need enlightenment for a

more sustainable and healthy model.”

The first step was to take strides to make Vanke’s work

more sustainable. Wang was drawn to prefabrication, a

construction technique that assembles as many components of

a structure as possible in a centralized manufacturing location. While often more costly, prefabrication uses far less timber,

water, and energy than conventional methods. At first, Wang had little support within either the industry

or the government. Some at Vanke were unconvinced. But as

it became clear that the tide in the construction sector was

turning toward prefabrication, Vanke found itself in an

auspicious position. “When the government later announced standards and

incentives for implementing new techniques, we were already

taking the lead in the industry and did not have difficulty in

adjustments,” he said. “Our early move was rewarding.”

Wang went on to found a group of Chinese entrepreneurs

called the C Team, with whom he is working to network

business leaders in the country to fight climate change. The

group has attended the United Nations’ climate conferences

almost every year since, and last year brought more than 100

Chinese business leaders to the summit in Marrakech,

Morocco. Wang has also advocated for the health of mountains. In

2010, in conjunction with his second trip to the summit of

Mount Everest, the Vanke Foundation organized a campaign

called Kilometer Zero that called on Chinese mountaineers to

bring trash down from mountainsides. The effort collected

some two tons of garbage, including 200 abandoned oxygen

tanks. In recent years, much of Wang’s work has been in the

realm of higher education. He has taught at the Hong Kong

University of Science and Technology and Peking University,

and in 2011 he joined the Harvard University Asia Center to

study connections between business ethics and Judaism. While at Harvard, he visited Walden Pond and read the works

of Henry David Thoreau to reflect on the importance of the

natural world. “It is not the question of how, but the question of why we

should ask ourselves,” Wang explained. “The purpose of my

study is to bring back inspirations to China from the

foundation of Western industrialization.”

Last year, Wang took part in the Climate Reality Project’s

second-ever training in China. He spoke about the ways

climate change could impact China’s nearly 1.4 billion

citizens and the ways that the country can act as a global

leader for climate progress. “I am a cautious optimist,” Wang said, not just for the

future of the mountaintops he loves, but also because of the

growing commitment to environmentalism he sees in China’s

public and business spheres. The prefabrication lab at Vanke’s national R&D center. Dongguan, China The balance of nature is also visibly upset in the Arctic. Here, during the long polar winter night, the sun doesn’t hit the North Pole for six months of the year. Normally, it’s extremely cold. But these are not normal times. Right in the middle of that polar winter night, on February 10, 2017, temperatures were about 27.7 °C (50°F) above normal. The North Pole started thawing at night in the middle of winter. A similar temperature spike occurred in December 2015.

This is a pattern. The Artic is already undergoing dramatic changes. TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE FEBRUARY 10, 2017

SOURCE: CCI, UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

As underwater ice melts, methane trapped beneath bubbles up and is released into the atmosphere. Cook Inlet, Alaska, January 2010

One of a number of methane craters in Siberia. Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, August 25, 2014

This is not where a meteor has hit. It is an outburst crater in Siberia caused by a methane explosion after the tundra thawed and gas built up until it blew out this massive hole. Throughout the Arctic tundra, huge amounts of plant matter lie frozen in the soil. When it thaws, the decomposition produces some CO , and more worryingly, enormous amounts of methane, which is 2

a far more potent greenhouse gas. We don’t yet know how dangerous the release of methane in the warming Arctic will be, or when we might cross a tipping point when there will be a much larger release of methane. PROFILE

Konrad Steffen

Climate Scientist and Climate Reality Leader

EGG, SWITZERLAND

In the year 2000, when my friend Koni Steffen looked at the

latest temperature readings from the system of weather

stations he’d built in Greenland, he thought something must

have gone wrong with the sensors. The temperatures seemed

far too high. As a good scientist, he immediately set out to

corroborate the new readings. “I went through it all night without sleeping,” he recalled. “And I realized that the data was real.”

Further confirmation came later after one of the stations

collapsed when the ice supporting it melted rapidly in the

Arctic’s rising temperatures. Steffen, whom I’ve known now for nearly two decades,

never set out to study climate change. He was born in Zurich,

Switzerland, and originally studied electrical engineering

before discovering a passion for earth science. His most long-standing project has been to monitor the

weather patterns and temperatures of the Arctic using a

network of solar-powered weather stations he constructed

starting in 1976.

He has visited Greenland to maintain and

expand the network every year since, even during a lengthy

period teaching at the University of Colorado during the 1980s

and 1990s. This past season marked his 40th trip. Steffen wears a stately beard, and though his hair is

greying, he speaks with the ardor of a much younger man. He

sometimes quips that when he started his academic career in

the 1970s, scientists knew more about conditions on nearby

planets than they did about Greenland. Though he’s too modest to say it, his work has been

instrumental in changing that. Looking back, he’s grateful for

the opportunity to track climate change in the Arctic since an

era when the climate was far more stable—and to have helped

inform the international conversation about global warming

almost since its inception. In the years since the weather station collapsed, Steffen’s

research has convinced him that climate change poses a grave

risk to the citizens of the world. In particular, his work has

demonstrated that even small changes to the environment can

have momentous climatological effects. He has shown that

Greenland’s ice sheet, long thought to melt more slowly than

glaciers, are disappearing far more rapidly than expected, in

part because of fissures that drain water down into the

bedrock. In spite of it all, Steffen has been heartened by the growing

awareness about climate change over the past decade. “We are all in it together,” he said. “It is a global climate. I

am a scientist, and science has no border.”

DEEP DIVE

Antarctica Is Warming Too

Most of the ice on planet earth is found on Antarctica. While the

Arctic is ocean surrounded by land, Antarctica is land surround

by ocean. In the middle of Antarctica, the surface of the ice

extends 10,000 feet above sea level. When I visited the South

Pole, I got altitude sickness. The ice of Antarctica has begun to melt and flow toward the

ocean at a faster pace, contributing to global sea level rise. The

most vulnerable part of the ice cap is in West Antarctica, a

region that is roughly the size of Greenland. A major portion of West Antarctica has now crossed a

tipping point, according to scientists, and will eventually break

up, flow into the ocean, and melt. Most scientists believe that

humankind still has the opportunity to prevent the breakup and

melting of the bulk of ice in Antarctica, but they warn us that we

must start sharply reducing global warming pollution as quickly

as possible. A penguin navigates a crack in the ice. Rilser-larsen Ice

Shelf, Antarctica. The Arctic is warming faster than any other place on Earth. The melting of its glaciers and the Greenland ice cap is now raising sea levels worldwide. Konrad Steffen’s research base on May 22, 2012.

The same research station 4 years later on July 11, 2016.

At a Climate Reality training in Miami, I saw fish from the ocean swimming in some of the streets in nearby Miami Beach. It was an example of “sunny day flooding.” There was no rainfall, the sea was simply coming up through the storm sewers during high tides. This is happening on a regular basis. Miami is now the number one city in the world in terms of assets at risk due to sea level rise. PROJECTED SEA LEVEL RISE IN SOUTH FLORIDA

SOURCE: SOUTHEAST FLORIDA REGIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMPACT

Here’s something you don’t see everyday: an octopus in a parking garage. Miami Beach, Florida, November 14, 2016

Sea level rise is an extremely grave threat, both for economies and for the people who will have to relocate. TOP 10 CITIES AT RISK FROM SEA LEVEL RISE BY 2070

SOURCE: NICHOLS, ET AL., 2007, OECD

PROFILE

Itzel Morales

Climate Scientist and Climate Reality Leader

DAVIS, CALIFORNIA

Itzel Morales’s family has lived on the Mexican island of

Carmen for generations. In 2010, for the first time, they had to

buy air-conditioning units because a window and fan were no

longer enough to keep cool during the sweltering summer

months. “The nights were suffocating,” Morales said. “That fear

was what got me involved in climate change.”

Spurred to action, Morales enrolled in a master’s program

at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University, where she studied the

impacts and mitigation of climate change. Then she applied to

the Climate Reality Project’s 2013 training in Chicago, where

she participated in an intensive three-day session of climate

researchers and communications experts. After the training, Morales returned to Mexico and flung

herself into climate advocacy. “I knew I could do

presentations,” she said. “I started sending emails to

everybody I knew.”

The community responded. Morales spoke in living

rooms, in every elementary school in her district, and at her

alma mater in Yucatán, where she had studied chemical

engineering. She even presented in front of a crowd of more

than a thousand at an event organized by the Fundación Pablo

García, a Mexican scholarship program. In her first year, all

told, she gave 25 presentations to thousands of people. She also became more involved with local issues. Carmen

Island sits on the Laguna de Términos, a tidal lagoon on the

Gulf Coast where the mangroves shelter a rich ecosystem. Morales is quick to rattle off statistics about the area’s

abundant biodiversity—and about the looming threats of the

petroleum industry. To protect the area, she became a

campaign organizer for the Green Island Environmental

Group, which advocates for the protection of the lagoon. Now, she has left the region again, this time for a position

as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at UC Davis, where she is

studying natural resource conservation and how community

empowerment can push back against climate change. She often thinks about the scorching nights back home on

Carmen, but in spite of it all, she remains hopeful. The fight,

she believes, is just beginning. “We definitely have political will,” she said. Morales and the Colectivo Ambiental Isla Verde distribute

recycled notebooks to students. Our global civilization is now

at a point of decision. But there is good news. We have all the solutions that

we need right before us. One day in August 2016, Scotland got 100 percent of its electricity from wind. In Portugal, they had four days straight in May 2016 on renewable energy alone. The transition to renewable energy represents the largest business opportunity in the history of the world. The projections for the future are quite stunning. The windy hills north of Lisbon are an ideal spot for a wind farm. Sobral de Monte Agraço, Portugal, August 13, 2015

The best projections 15 years ago were that global wind energy would increase by 30 gigawatts by 2010.

By 2016, we beat that goal 16 times over. WIND POWER PROJECTED VS. ACTUAL

For 24 hours on April 17, 2016, wind power met 103.6 percent of Denmark’s needs. The Middelgrunden offshore wind farm. Copenhagen, Denmark, March 11, 2015

PROFILE

Dale Ross

Mayor

GEORGETOWN, TEXAS

Just north of Austin, Texas lies Georgetown, a city of about

50,000 known for its Victorian architecture and serene natural

landscape. In many ways, it’s a conventionally run

municipality that tends to attract retirees—except that it’s

powered entirely by wind and solar energy. More surprising, perhaps, is that Georgetown mayor Dale

Ross doesn’t see that incredible accomplishment as an

environmental issue. To him, it’s just dollars and cents. “I think people make decisions that are in their own best

interest,” said Ross, who has lived in Georgetown since the

fourth grade. “If you can get things so that people want

sustainable green energy, I think you’ll get buy-in from across

the United States.”

There are a handful of other U. S .

cities that have made

similar decisions, including Burlington, Vermont, and Aspen,

Colorado, but Georgetown stands out for the overtly

pragmatic language its leaders have used to justify the

transition. “There are a lot of cities that just go with the next budget

cycle,” Ross said, “but we plan for 25 years in advance.”

We could probably all learn a lot from Ross, who spoke

with an understated Texas accent as he outlined the thought

process behind the transition. Ross worked for decades as an

accountant, and he sees his role in government as an extension

of that bookkeeping experience. Georgetown, he explains, has run its own municipal

electric utility since the early 20th century. With its wholesale

power contract set to end in 2012, Ross realized the city was

faced with a historic opportunity. Wind farms had been

cropping up in Texas for years, and he was intrigued by the

possibility of negotiating renewable rates that wouldn’t rise

over time. So he crunched the numbers, examining the wind profile

and solar radiance of the region, and what he found surprised

him. The combination of falling photovoltaic prices and

growing wind infrastructure meant that the wind and sun

could not only provide all the community’s electricity, but that

the town could sell the extra power back to the grid. Unlike

coal and oil, which are subject to price fluctuations, the city

knows exactly what the costs are going to be in perpetuity. Furthermore, he found that because fossil fuel power

plants use steam, moving toward wind and solar would also

reduce strain on the state’s water usage during punishing

droughts, while improving air quality. Sourcing the entirety of

Georgetown’s energy needs from renewable resources wasn’t

just possible, Ross realized—it also made sound financial

sense. Turbines get bigger and bigger, and there are so many of them that in many areas there is often a local surplus of energy from both wind and solar. In Texas, some utilities are introducing a new rate plan. They have so much wind energy that from 9 p. m .

until 6 a. m ., you can use all the electricity you want totally for free. Wind alone could supply 40 times all of the energy that the entire world needs. A rancher cleans a water tank at the Lone Star Wind Farm, which is also a cattle ranch. Near Abilene, Texas, June 9, 2007

For solar electricity, the projections 15 years ago were that the market would grow by 1 gigawatt per year by 2010.

That goal was exceeded 17 times over. By 2015, it was exceeded 53 times over. By 2016, 75 times over. COST OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELLS

This is an exponential curve, and it continues to go up at a steeper rate because the cost of silicon solar cells continues to go down. WORLD SOLAR PV INSTALLATIONS

SOURCE: EARTH POLICY INSTITUTE/BP

Chile has great policy. It was the first South American country to enact a carbon tax. At the end of 2013, Chile had 11 megawatts of solar capacity. By the end of 2014, more than 400 megawatts. By the end of 2015, more than 800 megawatts. So look at what they had under construction as of 2016, and under contract to soon begin construction. You talk about excitement; this story gets me excited. CHILEAN SOLAR MARKET

This 100 MW solar farm is one of the largest in Latin America. Copiapó, Chile, June 2014

DEEP DIVE

Batteries: The Key to a Renewable

Future

Modern civilization depends upon a constant, reliable stream of

energy. However, renewables such as wind and solar are

notoriously intermittent; wind depends on the whim of nature,

and solar power dries up as the sun goes down. Batteries solve

this problem by storing excess power generated throughout the

day and supplying it in the absence of sunlight or wind. In

addition, batteries respond well to high electricity demands,

help lower energy costs, and ensure reliability. They are the

most crucial components in any clean power future. Power storage is a much more difficult technological

problem than power generation. From lithium ion to

rechargeable flow, inventors and developers have

experimented with many new ideas. There is not yet a magic

bullet to solve our power storing needs. The good news,

however, is that in the past decade, batteries have made great

strides in capacity and lower prices. This is due in part to the

electric vehicle industry, which relies heavily on efficient lithium

ion batteries. In 2016, Tesla Inc. began manufacturing its Powerwall and

Powerpack energy products at its Gigafactory, currently the

world’s largest lithium ion battery factory. The goal of the plant

is to drive down the cost of the company’s electric vehicle and

energy storage batteries while also spurring innovation. Doing

so, according to the company, will make renewable energy

storage a more accessible and viable option. Others have also begun to find ways to make batteries

cheaper and more efficient. In February 2017, researchers at

Stanford University made batteries from aluminum, graphite,

and a substance found in mammal urine and fertilizer, urea. The urea provides an inexpensive, safe electrolyte, or ion

source, for the battery. Researchers have said the rechargeable

battery is ideal for renewable energy use because it is cheap,

long-lasting, safe, nonflammable, and efficient. As we attempt to stabilize humanity’s troubled relationship

with Earth, batteries have the potential and the strong likelihood

of being the key to this sustainable future. The Tesla Powerwall, a residential, rechargeable battery

designed to store renewable energy. PROFILE

Lyndon Rive

Cofounder and CEO of SolarCity

SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA

In 2004, when Lyndon Rive was driving with his cousin Elon

Musk to the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock

Desert, Musk made an offhand suggestion for a national

photovoltaic brand that would target the full spectrum of

potential solar users, from homeowners to commercial

properties. Rive was immediately taken with the concept. “Humanity

cannot survive anymore by burning fossil fuels,” he told me. “And solar panels were coming down in price. It was this

inflection point where a solar business was finally feasible.”

The idea was also appealing because Rive had been

conscious of the climate crisis for years. He’s an avid ocean

diver, so he’d often seen the environmental fallout of carbon

emissions firsthand. “I would go to an amazing reef, come back a few years

later, and notice that it’s far more dead,” said Rive. In addition

to the ocean becoming warmer, Rive pointed out, “The water

becomes acidic. It’s, like, burning and dying.”

As he explored Musk’s idea, Rive came to believe the

photovoltaic industry was ripe for disruption. The market was

highly fragmented, and existing ventures had struggled to

establish a recognizable brand. Worse yet, customers reported

uneven experiences with solar installations. When Rive founded SolarCity, he encountered resistance

from Silicon Valley elites who tended to shrink from high

labor business models. But SolarCity, which was acquired by

Musk’s automotive venture, Tesla, in 2016, soon exploded in

popularity. It has attracted hundreds of thousands of household

customers—each of whom on average will offset an estimated

178 tons of carbon over 30 years. “Over the next 10 years, there’s going to be a massive

transformation from fossil fuel–based energy to renewable

power,” Rive said. That’s the reason he remains bullish on the future of the

solar industry: it’s a solid investment. “Given the choice to pay more for dirty energy or less for

clean energy, customers choose to pay less for clean energy,”

Rive said. “It’s about independence, it’s about security, it’s

about owning your own stake in renewables.”

SolarCity employees install solar panels on the roof of a

home. There is other good news, too. Looking at this chart of CO2 emissions, we can see that global emissions have stayed flat for three years in a row. GLOBAL CO EMISSIONS 2

SOURCE: GLOBAL CARBON PROJECT

Charging stations like this one power electric vehicles that do not emit CO .

2

Mountain View, California, August 24, 2016

We have an obligation to

accelerate the movement

toward meaningful changes

in policies in every nation on

the face of this Earth to stop

the destruction of the global

ecological system. These are all of the coal plants that were proposed in the past 10 years and have been defeated, all the existing coal plants that were retired, and all the coal plants where retirement has been announced. All of these coal plants have been canceled. We are getting off of coal. THE U. S .

IS MOVING AWAY FROM COAL

SOURCE: THE SIERRA CLUB

PROFILE

Bjarke Ingels

Architect and Founder of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

When BIG set out to design a new waste-to-energy plant in

Copenhagen, the company saw it as an opportunity to change

public perception of what a utility building could be. Copenhagen is a flat city, so the group decided to embrace the

structure’s 85-meter height by giving it a sloped roof,

complete with trees and trail markers. It would double as a ski

slope during Denmark’s snowy winters. Bjarke Ingels, who heads the renowned Bjarke Ingels

Group, also devised a “chimney” for the low-emission plant in

collaboration with German architecture firm Realities:United

that, instead of producing smoke, will puff out gigantic rings

of steam each time the plant emits a metric ton of CO .

2

“There are people who imagine that the world is going

down the drain,” Ingels said, “and there are people who are

optimistic about growth, that technology will provide new

tools that will save us from problems.”

Ingels belongs to the latter category. It’s a design

philosophy he calls “ ‘hedonistic sustainability,’ which is the

idea that sustainability is not a moral burden or sacrifice but a

way to improve the quality of life and human enjoyment.”

Ingels has made his career transforming cityscapes, but he

was born and raised on a lakefront north of Copenhagen. That

natural setting made a permanent impression on him, and

since he was a young student, he has been drawn to questions

of environmental policy and sustainability. In what might be one of his most innovative projects to

date, Ingels, together with the London-based Heatherwick

Studio, designed a new headquarters for tech giant Google

that features a canopy of photovoltaic panels that can be

adjusted to let the perfect amount of sunlight shine down into

the offices below while using the rest to generate electricity. “We harvest every single photon,” said Ingels, who often

sports messy hair and a boyish grin. The idea behind the

Google project, he said, was to use “existing technologies in

ways that take advantage of all available resources.”

Ingels believes that innovation is an inexhaustible resource

—and that’s what gives him hope for the future of the planet. “There have been a handful of revolutions where, when

humanity has a vision and a goal and a consensus about it, we

can deliver striking results incredibly fast,” he said. “All it

takes is the resolve and the sense of urgency.”

An artist’s rendering of the Amager Bakke waste-to-energy

plant. Copenhagen, Denmark Ontario, Canada, got off of coal as a matter of public policy. The province was the first in North America to shut down its entire coal operation. Its last coal power plant closed down in 2014; a decade earlier, 25 percent of Ontario’s power came from coal. One of the worst polluters in Canada, the Nanticoke plant site, is being repurposed as a solar farm. The Nanticoke Generating Station was the largest coal-fired power plant in North America. Nanticoke, Canada, July 26, 2009

DEEP DIVE

Why Are Satellites Vital to Fight

Climate Change?

When the crew of Apollo 17 sent back a photo of the entire

Earth in one shot in 1972, it was the first time we had seen the

Blue Marble of our planet in all its majesty. Today, satellites are one of the only ways to see Earth from

afar, where we can observe climatic, weather, and energy

patterns. However, even satellites can be limited in their scope. When I saw that photograph of our planet, I was in awe. I

thought, what if we could have these images on a daily basis?

What if these images could be more comprehensive and

detailed?

Could they help build commitment to solving the

climate crisis?

As I soon learned, there was nothing at the time capable of

delivering what I had hoped for. During my time as vice president, and inspired by the Blue

Marble photograph, I called up NASA and proposed we send

out a satellite that could get a broader view of Earth, and could

stream the view in real time. I hoped that a fresh look at the

entirety of our planet could inspire a new generation of

environmental activists. The result of the subsequent work was the Deep Space

Climate Observatory satellite (DSCOVR), which to this day

provides a full-sphere view of the Earth—and also constantly

monitors the sun for potentially dangerous solar activity and

solar storms that could threaten electric utility grids and

pipelines. In 2000, DSCOVR, which at that time was named Triana,

after the first crew member on Columbus’ ships to sight the

New World, was approved by Congress despite some

opposition. I was about to run for president, and that may have

had something to do with the pushback. In 2001, the satellite was built and ready to go when the

new Bush-Cheney administration canceled its launch. At that

time, DSCOVR’s mission had become even more important as

the older satellite that monitored solar activity was aging and

carried dead instruments. When the new administration canceled DSCOVR’s launch, it

didn’t realize it was also cancelling the important solar-storm-

monitoring warning system. Excessive energy released during

solar storms on the sun can disrupt power grids,

telecommunications, and GPS here on Earth. The warning

system gives a 15- to 60-minute alert, allowing industries that

depend on these technologies to prepare themselves for any

disruptions. Industries that could be negatively affected without the

solar-storm warning system began to speak out against the

decision to cancel DSCOVR, prompting the Bush-Cheney

administration to agree to launch DSCOVR. But the

administration proposed removing all of the climate-monitoring

instruments, as well as the camera, and replacing them with the

equivalent of sandbags. Wow, I thought, that is extremism. DSCOVR gathered dust in storage for the remainder of

Bush and Cheney’s time in office. Under the Obama administration, the satellite was retrieved

from storage, tested, and found to be ready. DSCOVR was

launched in February 2015.

It now sits a million miles away

from Earth at the L1 Lagrange Point, a spot between the Earth

and the sun where gravitational and centrifugal forces are in

balance and a satellite can remain in equilibrium, orbiting the

sun in tandem with the Earth. Onboard the satellite are three instruments, that work with

information from other satellites to provide the full-sphere view

of Earth as well as accurate information about our ozone, dust,

cloud cover, vegetation, and volcanic ash—all important

aspects in our study of climate change. Most significantly,

DSCOVR provides for the first time a complete energy budget

for the Earth, and monitors how much of the planet’s energy

from the sun is sent back out into space. All these elements are what led to the idea of the DSCOVR

satellite. Not just the desire for full pictures of our planet and

our home, but also the amazing scientific data gathering that

can be achieved from that special point in space. We had a real

opportunity in the 1990s to start building enough public support

to really get on track to solving the climate crisis. We lost that

opportunity and we cannot afford to lose it again. Just like Apollo 17 did several decades ago with the Blue

Marble photograph, DSCOVR and satellites like it give us the

means of getting an accurate view of our planet, and the data

and inspiration we need to protect it. Let’s use it. The DSCOVR satellite sometimes captures an image of the

Moon passing between itself and the Earth. Engineers prepare to launch the DSCOVR satellite. DSCOVR’S POSITION RELATIVE TO THE EARTH

In December 2015, representatives of virtually every nation in the world gathered in Paris to address the climate crisis. They all pledged to work together to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions as early in the second half of this century as possible. This was a historic agreement. I was relieved when I got to Paris because there were influential men and women from countries around the world with whom I’d had the privilege of working, some of whom had been through my training program. They asked me to help make the conference a success. To celebrate the Paris Agreement’s entering into force, the Eiffel Tower is lit up with the words “The Paris Accord is done.”

Paris, France, November 4, 2016

What is the Paris Climate

Agreement?

195 countries signed a pledge to keep

global temperature rise below 2°C

(3.6 °F), and, if possible, below 1.5 °C

(2.7 °F).

All countries agree to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to

net zero as soon as possible in the second half of the century. The U. S .

pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to

28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

India aims to install 175 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by

2022.

China will peak its CO emissions by 2030.

2

Developed countries will provide $100 billion in climate finance by

2020.

Countries should raise the ambition of their initial commitments

over time to make sure we meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016.

Celebrating the successful conclusion of negotiations. Le Bourget, Paris, France, December 12, 2015

PROFILE

Christiana Figueres

Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and a Climate Reality Leader

SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA

In the early 1990s, when Christiana Figueres’s daughters were

young, she became preoccupied by the extinction of Incilius

periglenes, better known as the golden toad. The golden toad

had been a beautiful, bright-orange species native to the

forests of Figueres’s home country, Costa Rica, and its loss

seemed to her emblematic of the deteriorating Earth she would

someday pass on to her children. “I was profoundly impacted by having witnessed the

disappearance of a species,” she said. “It was then that I

started learning about climate change, and I have been

passionate about it ever since.”

Figueres had been thinking about sustainable lifestyles for

a long time. Years earlier, before she studied social

anthropology at the London School of Economics, her

undergraduate work at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania

brought her to a remote Costa Rican village in the Talamanca

Mountains, where she spent time with the indigenous

residents. The experience, working with people who had no

electricity or running water, permanently informed her outlook

on the environment. “Indigenous populations are some of the most vulnerable

populations to climate change, but they are also treasure

troves of responsible land use and water management

practices,” she said. “We can all learn from their wisdom and

long-standing experience. We can all gather insights from

them on the natural resource balance which we have destroyed

and must reestablish.”

But it was the episode with the golden toad that galvanized

Figueres, whose mother had been an ambassador and

legislator, and whose father served as the president of Costa

Rica for three periods between the 1940s and the 1970s. In her

parents’ footsteps, she set out to become a leader for

environmental progress. To do so, Figueres chose a life of diplomacy. In 1995, she

joined Costa Rica’s climate change negotiating team at the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC)—the group tasked, essentially, with negotiating a

way for the world to avoid environmental collapse. Simultaneously, she founded the Center for Sustainable

Development of the Americas, a nonprofit that advocated for

financial systems that would promote sustainable development

in the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2007, Figueres attended the second-ever Climate

Reality Training in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2010, she was

appointed to run the Secretariat, the group that runs the

UNFCCC. In that position, Figueres has acquired a reputation

as a dynamo—skilled in the art of diplomacy but willing to

push hard to convince the group’s 195 member nations that

the climate crisis is genuine and immediate. “I’m very comfortable with the word ‘revolution,’”

Figueres told The New Yorker in 2015.

“In my experience,

revolutions have been very positive.”

A key component of Figueres’s strategy in that position

has been empathy. She understands that Costa Rica’s

hydropower and wind resources give it an incentive to

promote climate progress that not every country enjoys—

especially not those with significant fossil fuel resources. Figueres is known as an avid distance runner and dancer

who tends to take public transit to work. In the wake of the

Paris Agreement, she has set her sights on convincing world

leaders to seize control of climate emissions by 2020, a year

that scientists see as the deadline to accelerate CO reductions 2

in order to protect the world’s most vulnerable populations

from the worst impacts of climate change. “We have not reached the turning point of greenhouse gas

emissions,” she said. “Industrialized countries must continue

to decrease their emissions.”

In sum, she sees the global community as having earned a

mixed report card over the past 25 years. On one hand, she

sees the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris

Agreement and the substantial investments and price

reductions in renewable technologies as triumphs. On the

other, she worries that the slowing of the temperature increase Even though President Trump has slashed federal programs to reduce emissions, U. S .

businesses are moving ahead on their own. Many cities—and 36 states—have set renewable energy portfolio standards or goals. hasn’t been enough to avoid the worst of the global climate

change fallout. Remembering the golden toad, she says, she draws hope

from the legacy of the Earth that she’ll leave behind for her

children. “We cannot afford the luxury of not being hopeful,” she

said. “This is a challenge we must face and conquer. Succeeding in arresting climate change is the only option we

have. And success always starts with optimism.”

The now-extinct golden toad. Their actions show that economies can reduce emissions and still grow. California leads the way—as its economy and population have grown, its greenhouse gas emissions have fallen. The state has pledged to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2030, compared to its 1990 levels. CHANGE IN CALIFORNIA GDP AND GHG EMISSIONS SINCE 2000

SOURCE: CEPA ARB

OceanofPDF. com

TRUTH TO POWER

This section presents a blueprint for what

you can do personally to hasten the

solution to the climate crisis. As you may

have noticed, the year 2017 has already

been marked by an enormous upsurge in

political activism in the United States,

especially on the part of the many

millions of Americans who strongly

oppose the policies and proposals of the

Trump administration. OceanofPDF. com

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

The first part of this book presented the evidence for why it is so important that we quickly shift from dirty, highly polluting, fossil fuel– powered electricity generation to renewable sources of energy. The existential threat we are facing also makes it important that we shift to sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry, electric vehicles, LEDs, efficient and affordable energy storage, and the introduction of hyper-efficiency in the way we use energy and materials. But in order to accomplish this transformation of human civilization in time to avoid the catastrophic consequences of the climate crisis, it is imperative that individual citizens become actively engaged in the struggle for the future of humanity. Political will is a renewable resource, but it can only be renewed

with the passionate involvement of individuals around the world who are willing to put time and energy toward learning the best ways to encourage political and business leaders at every level of society to make these changes a priority—and then take action. Demonstrators from around the globe demand world leaders take climate change seriously. New York, New York, September 21, 2014

This section of the book is designed to be a “how to” guide for

those who want to become effective advocates for solving the climate crisis. It includes sections on how to encourage others to vote, how to most effectively influence the elected officials that represent you at the local, state, and national level, how to translate your passion into a successful strategy for changing minds and hearts—and how to persuasively press for the changing of laws and policies. There continues to be a lot of resistance to doing the right thing,

and it is important to understand the reasons so many are still reluctant to accept the urgency of the changes we must make. For starters, many people choose inaction because it is simply easier to embrace any available doubt that serious change is truly necessary. Unfortunately, powerful and wealthy special interests whose

business models would be severely harmed by a speedy reduction in our dependence on fossil fuels have a sophisticated understanding of our vulnerability to this doubt. And in order to exploit that vulnerability, they have spent enormous sums of money to sow confusion by distributing an endless stream of falsehoods about the crisis and about the availability of solutions. Scholars have documented the cynical process by which the

carbon polluters have pursued this massive disinformation campaign. We can see with great granularity how the deniers have adapted the blueprint from a similar effort decades earlier by the cigarette manufacturers who, for 40 years, successfully delayed recognition of the scientific and medical consensus linking smoking to lung cancer and other diseases of the lungs and heart. In their ongoing effort to cultivate paralyzing doubt about the

reality of the growing disruption of the Earth’s climate pattern, carbon polluters have also developed a robust alliance with ideologically motivated advocates for radical reductions in the role of government at all levels—or, as President Donald Trump’s controversial associate Stephen Bannon said in early 2017, “the deconstruction of the administrative state.”

Ironically, special interests have such an unhealthy degree of

influence over governments at every level that the “administrative state” now subsidizes the burning of fossil fuels in the U. S .

at a rate 25 times larger than the meager subsidies for renewables, and often impedes the transition to a sustainable future. As a result, the changes we need will not necessarily result in an increase in the role of government at all, but require instead a redefinition and redirection of the role government plays. In order to bring about the changes we need, activists need to

focus not only on communicating the truth about the climate crisis and the readily available solutions, but they must also focus on learning how to wield political power—the healthy and liberating form of power that democracy puts in the hands and hearts of every citizen who wants to exercise it. Take, for example, the laws now in place in the state of Florida

that were written by lobbyists for the powerful fossil fuel–burning utilities there. At the present time, if an individual homeowner wishes to lease solar panels for his or her rooftop, Florida’s state government forces them under power of law to abandon any such dream—unless they contact the fossil fuel–burning utility that serves their neighborhood, asks them for permission to lease a solar panel, and then pays money to the utility. If citizens of Florida can find a way to eliminate that onerous and ridiculous law, they will diminish the role of government, rather than increasing it. It is, again, a question of power. Who has the power?

Voters or special interests?

Arizona Senator Jeff Flake answers questions at a town hall while the audience holds up red cards in disagreement. Mesa, Arizona, April 13, 2017

Recently, when Floridians eager to generate their own electricity

from their own rooftops—and exert their independence from the monopoly power of the utilities—complained that Florida is, after all, the “Sunshine State,” the head of one of the two largest utilities replied, “We are the Sunshine State, but we’re also the partly cloudy state.”

American democracy has been hacked. Elected representatives

of the people have too often become obedient, obsequious servants of the utility companies. At the same time, the utilities also spend large sums of money to flood the airwaves with deceptive television and radio advertisements intended to brainwash viewers into passivity and fool them into thinking that the utilities have their best interests at heart—when actually, the utilities are simply using falsehoods to increase their profits and executive bonuses. There are many other examples of what is happening to Florida

throughout the United States and in many nations around the world. And tragically, many legislators have learned that if they stay on the “gravy train” provided by special interests, they can rely on those interests to fool voters into thinking that they are being well represented, and persuade them to reelect their dishonest representatives over and over again—even if those representatives never lift a finger to serve the public interest. However, in the dawning age of the Internet and social media,

individual voters are beginning to awaken to the way special interests have taken advantage of the general public. As a result, we are now witnessing the beginnings of a nonviolent political revolution in which citizens are starting to take back control of their own destiny and are demanding that those they elect to serve the public interest actually do so. If you want to join this revolution—and I hope you do—what

follows is a practical guide to how you can save the future. As you will see, different people find different paths. Each of us has our own areas of interest and we all naturally choose different ways to help win the battle for our future. Once you make the basic decision to get involved, you will

discover the best ways that you can be effective. But remember, as Goethe once wrote, “It is not enough to know; we must also apply; it is not enough to will, we must also do.” The truth can set us free, and once free, we must act. Rex Tillerson, former CEO of ExxonMobil, after being sworn in as Secretary of State. Washington, D. C ., February 1, 2017

OceanofPDF. com

Be an Involved Citizen

There are a number of ways individuals can

have a surprisingly big impact on elected officials at every level of government. I used to be an elected official, and I know a little bit about what works. The secret is to make it unmistakably clear that their positions and actions related to solving the climate crisis will absolutely determine whether you (and everyone you can influence) will either:

A strongly support them for election or

reelection

B do everything in your power to make

certain they are defeated in the next election. Delegates voting to nominate candidates for the 2016 election. Las Vegas, Nevada, June 28, 2016

1.

Register to vote and help get others to

vote too. Over 40 percent of the eligible voting population did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Stay registered no matter what—every election counts. Find out how you can register at usa. gov /register-to-vote. Encourage all of your friends and other people in your social network to register, and then make sure they vote on election day. You can consult resources like Rock the Vote, Project Vote, NextGen Climate, and League of Conservation Voters to learn more about getting out the vote. 2.

Find your elected officials. In addition to the president, you are represented by members of the U. S .

House and Senate at the federal level, your governor and state legislators at the state level, and your mayor and local officials in your city and county. To learn who represents you at each level, visit usa. gov /elected-

officials. 3.

Learn how they vote. It’s important to understand how your representatives vote on climate issues. This will help you better understand their commitments and dictate how you engage them. Visit online voting scorecards such as Scorecard. LCV .org or

GovTrack. us .

4.

Call, tweet, and write to your elected

officials. Once you’ve learned the names of your lawmakers, you can reach them through the congressional switchboard by calling (202) 225-3121 and telling the operator to whom you wish to be connected. Save this number in your phone so that you can call them regularly. Calling members of Congress is one of the most effective things you can do as an engaged citizen. Congressional staffers will tell you how important these calls are in helping lawmakers understand where their constituents stand. The number of calls an office receives has a significant impact on how a representative votes on a piece of legislation. With that said, any sort of contact with your officials strengthens our democracy. Republican Congressman Rodney Davis now supports finding solutions for the climate crisis. Springfield, Illinois, August 14, 2014

Call your elected officials. Very rarely, you will be able to talk directly to an elected official, but it’s most likely that you will speak to a staff person. When calling, it’s important to let them know exactly what issue you’re calling about and concisely tell them your position. Most of the time the staffer will simply be recording the number of calls they receive on a given issue, so there is no need to speak at length and you shouldn’t feel pressured to carry on a conversation. Be polite, but by all means be forceful and make it unmistakably clear that you are passionate about this issue and that your network of friends will be tuned in to exactly what the elected official does or does not do relevant to climate. And get others to call too. Numbers matter. SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT

A man holding a ballot gets ready to vote. Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, November 8, 2016

Tweet your elected officials. Members of Congress and other elected officials also pay careful attention to replies and mentions on their Twitter accounts, especially when they come from people who clearly identify themselves as constituents. One study showed that even a few dozen tweets from constituents on a given issue was enough to get the office’s attention. SAMPLE TWEET

Find more tips for using social media as a

climate activist. WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

OceanofPDF. com

Speak at a Town Hall Meeting or

Forum

One of the most effective ways to influence your elected officials is to speak to them face-to-face in town hall meetings or at other open forums. Members of Congress and local elected leaders

want to know which issues are most important to their constituents, and taking the time to show up in person communicates to them that you are serious about addressing climate change at the municipal, state, and federal level. Even if you’re a little nervous about public speaking, with a little preparation you can make a big impact. This is what speaking truth to power is all about. A woman asks a question of Senator Lindsey Graham at a town hall meeting. Columbia, South Carolina March 25, 2017

1.

Make your concern about the climate

personal. Successful climate activists are experts at connecting their personal stories and concerns to the greater issues of climate change. It’s important you pick an issue that affects you and your community personally. Here are some ideas:

Promote clean air by asking that municipal vehicles be transitioned

to electric vehicles or hybrids. Make sure your tax money isn’t contributing to climate change by

asking that municipal buildings transition to solar or wind power. Paying attention to the climate and environmental issues being discussed in your community and at the state and national levels may provide some good ideas for how you can get involved. One example is The Climate Reality Project’s 100% Committed campaign: encourage your city, business, or university to commit to using 100 percent renewable electricity. Learn more at climaterealityproject. org /content/roadmap-100.

Governments everywhere should put a price on carbon that reflects the true costs we all pay for global warming pollution and incentivizes the transition to a clean energy economy. To learn more about this, visit the Climate Reality website at

climaterealityproject. org for best practices on designing such a policy. You can also focus on related issues, but remember to mention climate early in your remarks. QUICK TIP

If your city doesn’t have a climate task force, maybe it’s

time to form one!

See “Run for Office” for information on running for office. 2.

Find the right opportunities to speak and engage with elected officials. Organize or join local groups, like the Indivisible chapter in your

community (see “INTERVIEW: Indivisible”), to engage the political system at town halls, public events, district offices, rallies, marches, and relevant city council or committee meetings. See if there is a specific municipal council or body focused on issues related to energy and the climate. Find out if you need to do anything in advance to speak at these events or just show up ready to contribute. 3.

Prepare to speak. Remember that in most town hall meetings and local forums like city council meetings, speakers are typically expected to speak for only a few minutes, so make your point quickly and effectively. In order to have the most impact, you may want to consider doing the following to prepare:

Plan out your remarks ahead of time, and write them down to help

commit them to memory. Make your most important point early in your remarks. Practice in front of friends or family to get feedback, and time

yourself to make sure you’re within the time constraints. It’s important the committee knows you’re an active member of the

community. If you’re a business owner, parent, veteran, faith leader, medical professional, or educator, make sure to include this information in your presentation. Bring a visual aid or two, whether it’s a prop or a poster board with

some key facts or graphs, to help you make your point. You want to feel confident and make a good impression. You don’t

need to wear a suit, but dress professionally and avoid wearing political T-shirts or buttons unrelated to the cause you are speaking about. 4.

Bring backup. There’s strength in numbers. In order to win over your officials, you’ve got to persuade them that this issue is not only important to you, but to many others in your community. If possible, it’s a good idea to bring friends and family to show support for your presentation. Don’t be shy about asking them to clap or vocally agree during and immediately following your presentation. 5.

Then, when the time is right, speak up!

There’s nothing to worry about. As a climate activist, you know the science is on your side. Arrive early and take a seat somewhere with easy access to the aisle. When your name is called or when your raised hand is called upon, take a deep breath, and give your presentation. The more you speak up, the more comfortable you will get, and the more effective you will be. Demonstrators throw a giant Earth balloon during the COP21 climate change meetings. Rome, Italy, November 29, 2015

OceanofPDF. com

Write about Climate Effectively

By writing articles, opinion pieces, and letters to

the editor, your reasonable, science-based arguments and personal stories can reach a massive audience and help counter misinformation about climate change— especially if your writing goes viral online. Influence and impact is within the reach of anyone who can write persuasively and passionately. Lawmakers, CEOs, and other

leaders pay careful attention to the opinion pages of local and national papers, making them an important venue for persuading powerful people and affecting public discourse. AN EXEMPLARY OP-ED BY A LOCAL BUSINESS LEADER

Even though special interests have more influence in our democracy than ever before, the opinions of voters can still carry the day—if enough people speak out passionately. You don’t need any special qualifications or even a lot of experience to get published. Here are some best practices that will dramatically increase your chances. 1.

Be timely. The first question any opinion editor will ask when you submit a piece is, “Why is this relevant now?” With few exceptions, most pieces that are accepted are tied to a breaking news story or a hot-button issue that is generating discussion locally or globally. Look for opportunities to enter the conversation quickly, before the public focus moves on to the next topic. Pick a topic that you’re passionate about and that you have something to add to. Here are some ideas:

A local ballot measure, piece of legislation, or other policy issue. A personal story about what you are doing to reduce your own

carbon footprint. An important racial, social, or economic justice issue that

intersects with climate change and environmental protection. Criticism for elected officials who are failing to address climate

issues or praise for those who are showing courage and leadership. 2.

Be concise. Research guidelines for letters to the editor and other pieces before submitting one. For an op-ed, 600 to 800 words is standard, while letters to the editor are generally 100 to 300 words. Lengthy pieces may be dismissed outright, no matter how good your writing or argument. Some outlets accept longer-form pieces, but often not as unsolicited submissions. More important is your reader’s attention span. You’re more likely to reach a broad audience with a piece that is short, clear, and to the point. QUICK TIP

Editors pay attention to how many readers a piece gets

in the first couple of hours, so make sure to promote it

extensively. 3.

Support your argument. Back up your points with concrete examples and evidence. Avoid hyperbole and exaggeration. If you state your points clearly and calmly while providing proof for your claims, your argument will be more convincing, especially for the most skeptical readers. It’s also a good idea to refer to your personal experience and story. 4.

Know your audience. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and think about the arguments, sources, and tone that would be most convincing to them. 5.

Pick the best outlet. Choose your publication well. Which outlet will be most credible to your audience?

Members of Congress, for example, are influenced by pieces appearing in local papers within their district as well as Beltway outlets like The Hill and Politico. The Huffington Post and The Guardian are well respected, but if you’re reaching across the aisle, they may not be the best home for your op-ed. National papers like The New York Times and The Washington Post have a wide reach, but submitting to them is extremely competitive. 6.

Get feedback. Always try to get a second opinion before submitting your piece. If you’re trying to reach a specific audience, get feedback from a member of that group. Even just having a friend or family member look over your piece can ensure an editor doesn’t pass you over because of a simple spelling or grammatical error. If you don’t have someone else who can review it, sleep on it and take a second look in the morning before you hit send. OceanofPDF. com

Start a Petition

The First Amendment says that no law shall

prohibit the right of people “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Nowadays, it has become common practice for people to unite in an expression of support or reproach for a government official or organization. Petitions can directly affect policies or signal to leaders how strongly constituents or customers feel about a particular issue. Every

signature adds weight to the concern. If you’re a budding climate activist, petitions are also a great way to build a community of like-minded people. The Climate Reality Project helps deliver 2.1 million comments to the EPA. Washington, D. C ., June 25, 2012

1.

Identify your target. Direct your petition to whoever has the most direct influence on the issue. For government concerns, this might be a representative voting on a bill. For corporate concerns, this might be a CEO, large shareholder, or the company’s sustainability department. 2.

Craft a compelling and concise message. State the problem and desired outcome clearly, so everyone understands the “so what.” Use short sentences and don’t go over 200 words. Offer a deadline to create urgency and news clips to show the issue is a subject of public interest. 3.

Circulate widely. Your petition’s success lies in getting it out there. Use social media networks to post and share the link. Share around your school or office as well. Bring paper petitions to meetings, or organize signature drives at local businesses, farmers’ markets, and events. 4.

Deliver. If your petition is online, it is easy to bring your message to its recipient: hit send. Make sure your petitioners use their social media to follow up with the person or organization you are petitioning. If you have paper to deliver, mailing is an option. Or consider delivering it at an important event, like a shareholders meeting or a press conference. Taken together, these steps can drive great momentum for your cause and your community. Keep your petitioners close, thank them for their participation, and constantly involve them in your future projects. Americans exercise their right to petition in opposition to a bank merger. San Francisco, California, February 2, 2015

OceanofPDF. com

Establish Yourself as a Climate

Activist Online

The Internet has changed the face of activism. Some of the most popular modern political movements started online through social media, blog posts, and email campaigns. You don’t

need to rearrange your life to be a climate activist. You can start or join a community of climate activists around the globe from your sofa, and then work together to encourage good science and advocate for protecting the Earth. Ed Stafford updates his blog during his record-breaking 859-day Amazon River walk. Amazon Jungle, Peru

1.

Create social media accounts. Social media sites provide powerful platforms for change-makers to educate the general public and influence political leaders. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Tumblr all have their value, but you may not have time to maintain a presence on all of them. Keep your finger on the pulse: different platforms rise and fall in popularity, and different demographic audiences tend to prefer certain platforms over others. 2.

Choose your best outlets. Online activism takes many forms in many venues these days. Social media is a necessity; beyond those platforms, you may also want to establish a blog, create an email newsletter or mailing list, publish on a writing platform such as Medium, or explore new outlets and platforms just launching. 3.

Show that you’re a climate activist. As you set up your accounts, establish yourself as an outspoken climate activist by putting your climate advocacy front and center in your username, profile picture, and bio. You can identify yourself as part of the broader movement by using a profile image “filter” like the Climate Reality Project's green ring. Include a link in your bio to your blog, if you have one, or to an

informative climate-related website like climaterealityproject. org .

4.

Use strong visuals. Especially when you’re starting out, photographs, videos, infographics, and memes help grab people’s attention and increase sharing. 5.

Follow other influencers. Pay attention to what prominent climate experts, political leaders, NGOs, and journalists are saying and amplify their messages or reply with a different opinion. 6.

Be creative. Humor, wit, and creativity can go a long way in helping you reach an audience beyond your immediate circles. 7.

Share facts and breaking news. Become a source where your followers can find important news and analysis on local and national climate issues. 8.

Post frequently. There are best practices for each platform as to how often you should post, but at least a few times a day is usually safe. During key moments like a State of the Union address or a vote in Congress, you should post several times using appropriate hashtags, as many more people will be paying attention. EXAMPLE TWITTER POSTS

PROFILE

John Cook

Founder of Skeptical Science

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

By 2007, John Cook had grown so frustrated by endless

arguments with his family over the existence of climate

change that he began to maintain a list of dubious talking

points they used against him, complete with counterexamples

he could use to cut the altercations short. The technique was so successful that he started to wonder

if his list might be useful to others. After some consideration,

he turned it into a remarkable website called Skeptical

Science, which assembles common myths about climate

change. Think “Then why is it cold out?” and “There is no

consensus”—alongside meticulously researched rebuttals. The site touched a cultural nerve, and it was just beginning

to pick up steam when Cook got an email that would

permanently alter the course of his life. The message was from

a cognitive scientist, who praised the site, but forwarded a

selection of psychological research on how to construct an

argument that’s maximally effective at changing hearts and

minds. For Cook, it was an epiphany. He realized that there was

an entire body of research that studied the question of how to

communicate complex ideas most effectively. Embarrassingly,

it soon became clear that he’d been making missteps that an

expert in the field would consider rather basic. “I was doing what almost everyone does when they

debunk myths,” he said. “They emphasize the myth first. They

usually use it as the headline, then talk about the facts later. What that does is make the myth more prominent, and it risks

strengthening it.”

Cook, who exudes a quiet intelligence, started to study

with passion. At first he was just looking for tips to make

entries on Skeptical Science more convincing, but he soon

started to wonder if he might have found his calling. Eventually, he enrolled in a doctoral program at the University

of Western Australia where he dove into intricate questions of

communication theory—while continuing to maintain

Skeptical Science on the side. In the university system, Cook approached the challenge

of communicating effectively with the same fervor he’d

employed regarding climate change. He co-authored two

books and penned a thesis about closing the “consensus gap”

between the scientific case for climate change and public

perception. He also served as the lead author on an influential

paper, later tweeted by U. S .

President Barack Obama, that

quantified support for global warming among researchers. Cook also developed a set of three guidelines that he

believes are key to framing an argument as effectively as

possible. The first is to know your target readers. “The best

audience is often not people who hold a different view,” he

said. “It’s the undecided majority. Trying to convince a

hardcore disbeliever is unlikely to have much impact.”

The second is to carefully consider the key facts you want

to communicate and to boil them down to their absolute

essence. Cook uses the phrase “simple and sticky” to describe

facts that have been reduced to a form so pure that they cut

through the spin and lodge in readers’ memories. To describe his third guideline, Cook uses an example

from immunology. Cook has found that if you explain to

someone why a faulty argument is weak, the effect can be akin

to vaccination. When they eventually come across a stronger

form of the obfuscation, they’ll be better equipped to argue

against it. For instance, researchers in 2017 found that if they’d

exposed subjects to the idea that politically motivated groups

use misleading tactics to convince the public that there’s wide

disagreement among scientists about global warming, those

subjects became less likely to believe similar false claims in

the future. “You need to inoculate people against misinformation,” he

said. “It’s about exposing them to a weak form of the

misinformation, so that the strong form won’t influence

them.”

If you want to promote climate science in the public

sphere, Cook recommends that you follow his guidelines—

and, hearkening back to the roots of Skeptical Science,

suggests that you take the issue up with those closest to you. “One of the most trusted sources of information about

climate change is friends and family,” he said. “I would

suggest that people speak from the heart on why this issue is

important to them.”

Cook’s website features visual aids like this illustration to

help people address climate denial. To learn more about Cook’s work, visit SkepticalScience. com .

I believe we have the

capacity, at moments of great

challenge, to set aside the

causes of distraction and rise

to the challenge that history

is presenting. OceanofPDF. com

Magnify Your Impact with Press

Coverage

Understanding the media landscape, including knowing the prominent climate publications and journalists, is vital for driving attention to your activism. Take note of how journalists cover

various causes to get a feel for what piques their interest. Use this insight to organize creative, attention-grabbing campaigns that journalists will be unable to ignore. 1.

Build relationships with journalists—it’s

easier than you think. Send an email or letter to the reporters who cover the environment in your area, or even those at national outlets who cover the environment. Follow them on Twitter, comment on their articles, or send them a quick email to thank them for their reporting on an important issue. They’ll be more likely to remember you later when you ask them to cover your event or petition. 2.

Alert the press. If you are planning some newsworthy statement or event, keep reporters informed and give them notice so they can plan ahead. Remember that journalists are inundated with story ideas, so sometimes a quick email with just the key facts is as effective as a formal press release. Don’t pester, but if you don’t hear back after sending an email or release, follow up with a phone call to make sure they saw it. 3.

Prepare for the possibility that you might be interviewed. What is the most important message that you want people to take away from a radio interview or article in which you are quoted?

Write down three or four key talking points, rehearse them, and stick to them no matter what. If a reporter asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer, or that seems off topic, find a way to transition back to your talking points. They should be no more than a sentence or two long. Avoid rambling. Sometimes you will be dealing with a reporter who is hostile to your position. Maintain your composure and don’t show anger or frustration. If you stay calm, you’ll look like the reasonable one to anyone watching. A demonstrator is interviewed during a sit-in coordinated by the Campaign Against Climate Change. London, England, March 7, 2015

PROFILE

Tais Gadea Lara

Journalist and Climate Reality Leader

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

When Tais Gadea Lara was a young girl living near Buenos

Aires, she told her mother that she intended to be a journalist

when she grew up. Gadea Lara, now 29, has emerged over the past decade as

an award-winning environmental journalist in Argentina’s

independent media: she’s the co-founder of media project

Conexión Coral, a TV reporter for Efecto Mariposa and Hoy

Nos Toca, and writes for newspapers and magazines including

La Nación and Sophia. Gadea Lara now lives in Buenos Aires proper, though

when we spoke she had just returned from an expedition to

report on conservationists in Patagonia who are working to

protect the hooded grebe, a critically endangered migratory

bird. It’s the type of story that epitomizes her wide-ranging

oeuvre, mixing a deep concern for sustainability and the

environment with a hopeful view of the role the public can

take in shaping the future of the planet. “What I try to do in every article is to be optimistic,” she

said. “There are a lot of people working on climate action, and

it’s helpful to show readers that there are people in their

communities who are working on that.”

That outlook underlies Gadea Lara’s ethos as a journalist. She reports on the grave realities of climate change, but tries

to counterbalance each story with examples of governments

and citizens that have taken action for the public good. Last year, for instance, Gadea Lara visited vulnerable

communities on the outskirts of Buenos Aires that lacked

access to electricity or hot water. She saw that community

groups had stepped in to provide photovoltaic panels and

bathing facilities, and she ended up writing a newspaper

feature about efforts in Argentina to fight poverty by

harnessing renewable resources. This positivity is key, she believes, to engaging citizens of

a developing economy who might otherwise see

environmentalism as a luxury for wealthier nations. It’s the

same viewpoint that appealed to Gadea Lara when she

attended South America’s first Climate Reality Leadership

Corps training program in Rio de Janeiro in 2014—the idea

that, if we work together, it’s not too late to save the world. “I think the main job we have as journalists,” she said, “is

to tell people what they can do.”

To learn more about Gadea Lara's work, visit her website at

TaisGadeaLara. com .

Gadea Lara interviews a man about the impact of climate

change on his life during the COP22 Climate Conference. Marrakesh, Morocco, November 6, 2016

OceanofPDF. com

Talk to Children about Climate

Change

When I was a young child, my father taught me about soil conservation on our family farm. For me, that was the beginning of my awareness of and concern about the impact people have on

the environment. If we can help children make sense of the environmental problems they’re inheriting, they’ll be better equipped to solve them. Start early, with simple concepts, and make sure to nurture an ongoing conversation. Children take part in a countrywide effort to break the world record for most number of people planting trees simultaneously. Catequilla Hill, Ecuador, May 16, 2015

1.

Foster a love of nature. Children who care for nature are more likely to become adults who do too. Teach children to respect the Earth and take responsibility for keeping it healthy by getting them outside as much as possible. WHAT HAPPENED TO PLAYING OUTDOORS?

Almost three-quarters of today’s mothers in the U. S .

say they played outdoors every day as children, but only one-quarter say their kids do. SOURCE: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD (2004)

Give children time and space to play. Despite our culture’s preference for cramming schedules with sports, music lessons, and playdates, children thrive on unstructured play. When left to their own devices outdoors, imagination takes off. Kids who feel free to love what they love, whether it’s digging in the dirt or staring at clouds, are more likely to see outside time as something to look forward to rather than a boring activity. Listen for and support children’s preferences. Talking to children about their time outside can be as important as discussing what they learned at school. When a child feels your interest, it helps them understand that outdoor experiences matter and will help them find creative ways to celebrate it. Empower kids to find nature anywhere. It’s true that all cities are not created equal when it comes to open space. However, having lived both on a farm and in cities, and having helped raise children in both kinds of settings, I know what most parents know—that nature is all around us if we just take the time to look. Stroll around the neighborhood, listening for birds, watching for

insects, and collecting “treasures” like leaves and rocks. Encourage activities like tree climbing and stargazing. Avoid the “look, don’t touch” mentality. Promote a healthy curiosity

about the natural world. Plan special trips to outdoor-oriented institutions like botanic

gardens, arboretums, and parks. 2.

Track your family’s carbon footprint and

waste. Even young children can learn the basics of a carbon footprint. You can turn individual lessons and chores into a meaningful family activity by discussing your household’s larger impact on the Earth. Frame the discussion. Explain the big picture of how household energy use adds up within the home as well as how individual homes contribute to the collective problem of global climate change. Impress upon children the importance of individual responsibility when it comes to ethical energy consumption. Teach them the basics about the global energy system, including the importance of energy efficiency and the advantages of renewable sources of energy compared to dirty fossil fuels. Discuss how your household currently measures up. Review your utility bills to find your average monthly usage. Visit an online carbon calculator like the one provided by the Environmental Protection Agency to learn the carbon footprint of your home. Based on what you find, set a goal for future savings. Map out where you use energy. Make it a game to seek out every way your house uses electricity. Watch for standby energy devices like computers or cable boxes,

which suck energy even when they’re not in use. See this QUICK

TIP to learn what to do with this problem. For information visit: youth. zerofootprint .net and

climatekids. nasa .gov. QUICK TIP

The young reader’s editions of my books An

Inconvenient Truth and Our Choice are also good

resources. 3.

Promote climate change education. Over the past 20 years, environmental education programs have had major benefits, from improved critical thinking to increased civic engagement. Unfortunately, more often than not, climate change education is lacking. A recent survey found that 30 percent of science teachers who teach climate change tell students that it is “likely due to natural causes,” while another 31 percent teach the issue as unsettled science. Parents should encourage teachers to resist the effort by climate deniers to undermine science. Here are some suggestions you can make to your children’s teachers, or use if you’re a teacher yourself:

Turn to technology. Teachers can bring science to life with engaging apps, like BBC's Earth, NASA’s Earth Now, or WWF's Together, available on iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play, or your local cable television. Bring in the arts. Climate change is interdisciplinary. Art teachers can assign climate change posters. Creative writing teachers can assign poems on the subject. Explore these climate and energy curriculum resources. climatekids. nasa .gov/menu/teach

nwf. org /Eco-Schools

eia. gov /kids/energy. cfm ?page=teacher_guide

Haven Coleman, a young Climate Reality Leader, asks her congressman about renewable energy policy at a town hall meeting. Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 13, 2017

PROFILE

Harriet Shugarman

Founder of Climate Mama and Climate Reality Leader

WYCKOFF, NEW JERSEY

HARRIET SHUGARMAN SPENT years building a career at the United

Nations and the International Monetary Fund, where her

environmental work included helping organize the first Earth

Summit. But it wasn’t until the births of her children that the

magnitude of the climate crisis washed over her in full force. “There was so much happiness, but also such a sense of

responsibility,” said Shugarman, who grew up in Alberta,

where oil and gas are a large part of the economy. “Learning

about the climate crisis, you might want to forget it, but you

know it’s real.”

After the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Shugarman

attended one of the first Climate Reality trainings in

Nashville. When she returned to New York to deliver her own

presentations at schools and community centers, she

discovered that her identity as a mother gave her a powerful

ethos as a speaker. Though she’d spent many years working with diplomats

and officials at the UN and the IMF, Shugarman recalls that

her climate presentations gave her a new sense of effecting

direct change in the world. “It took me a year or two after giving presentations in my

community to realize that I could speak in this really personal

voice as a parent,” she said. “I felt empowered.”

As she discovered that voice, Shugarman founded an

organization called Climate Mama that publishes information

about environmentalism and advocacy aimed at parents—and

has been recognized by the White House and the

Environmental Protection Agency for its outreach efforts. Shugarman also keeps busy as an activist. In 2011, she

was arrested in Washington, D. C ., at a protest against the

Keystone XL Pipeline. She also teaches about climate change

policy at New Jersey’s Ramapo College, writes for national

outlets including MSNBC and The Huffington Post, and until

recently chaired the Environmental Commission and Green

Team in the New Jersey town where her family lives. “I am hopeful,” she said, “because of the many amazing

people I meet from the climate movement and the

environmental movement and beyond. I’m hopeful because of

my children. I can’t let myself not be hopeful.”

To learn more about Shugarman’s work, visit

ClimateMama. com .

Protestors call on President Barack Obama to reject the

Keystone XL oil pipeline. Washington, D. C ., February 17, 2013

DEEP DIVE

Tactics and Strategies of the Anti-

Smoking Movement

How can climate activists challenge and counteract the

propaganda coming from billion-dollar fossil fuel industries, as

well as the constant denial from “skeptics”?

The campaign

against tobacco use shows us how difficult the challenge can

be—but also what success can look like. In 1998, the “truth” campaign was launched, with the goal of

ending teen tobacco use. The theme of the campaign was

exposing tobacco industry tactics that manipulated teen

consumers—tactics that we now know were also adopted by

large carbon polluters in the fossil fuels industry to mislead the

public about the true causes of climate change. (Fittingly, the

first years of funding came from a massive settlement between

46 U. S .

states and the biggest tobacco companies.)

The truth campaign marked a significant change from prior

anti-smoking campaigns, which had focused on negative health

effects. Extensive research had shown that teens were not

dissuaded from smoking by warnings about lung cancer and

other consequences. So the truth campaign used a different

approach in radio, television, and billboard advertising to

cleverly highlight the blatant falsehoods of the tobacco

companies and provoke teens to ask themselves a subversive

question: “Am I being played for a fool and taken advantage of

by these giant corporations?”

Additionally, it used “horizontal influence,” meaning not a

top-down, but peer-to-peer approach. The campaign

coordinated regional youth-led groups called SWAT, Students

Working Against Tobacco. According to a 2009 issue of the

American Journal of Preventative Medicine, truth prevented

450,000 youth from starting to smoke within the first four years

of the campaign. In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

launched the “TIPS” campaign to urge adult smokers to quit. The ads showcased former smokers suffering from tobacco-

related illnesses giving “tips” to current smokers for how to

handle the ailments when they start suffering from them. The

campaign inspired almost two million people to quit over three

years. Corporate Accountability International (CAI) found success

using boycotts against tobacco companies. CAI launched a

boycott against Kraft products, owned by cigarette producer

Philip Morris (now Altria; the campaign was so effective that the

company changed its name!).

The campaign particularly

focused on boycotting Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to put

pressure on the tobacco industry to end marketing targeted at

young people. The boycott tarnished Kraft’s image as a family

brand. Boycotts have been effective in the climate movement

too—for example a “switch your account” campaign led Bank of

America to limit its financing of mountaintop removal coal

mining practices. The fossil fuel industry has misled much of the public into

thinking climate change is not real—much like the cigarette

companies promised us their product wasn’t dangerous. The

truth campaign show that through innovative and emotional

activism and marketing, people can be persuaded. This

achievement provides hope for making the truth about the

climate crisis just as persuasive. Images from “The Sunny Side of Truth” campaign,

launched in 2008.

OceanofPDF. com

Talk with Climate Deniers

Even though climate science is peer-reviewed,

comprehensive, and well established, I know all too well that it is still a deeply polarizing subject. Climate deniers and those of us who accept the facts are sometimes pitted against one another at family gatherings, social occasions, and in the larger public discourse. It’s important that you not only understand why this controversy persists (hint: it’s manufactured) but also that

you can confidently and meaningfully address these skeptics. Climate Reality Leadership Corps training. Chicago, Illinois, July 30, 2013

It is important to remember that this divisiveness has been purposefully engineered by oil, coal, and gas companies—and the politicians whose pockets they line. In Tennessee, we have an old saying, “If you see a turtle on top of a fencepost, you can be pretty sure it didn’t get there by itself.” In the same way, when you hear all the climate denial in the U. S ., you can be pretty sure it didn’t get there by itself either. Over the past few decades, large carbon polluters have invested heavily to “manufacture doubt” and advance obfuscation instead of science—in much the same way the tobacco lobby successfully created doubt in the public’s mind as to whether or not cigarettes cause cancer. Ultimately, they lost that battle, but not before they delayed public health responses to cigarette smoking by over 40 years. The carbon-polluting lobby is using their playbook to do the same where global warming is concerned. It’s now clear that Exxon Mobil knew about the climate consequences of burning fossil fuels beginning in the late 1970s— but instead of changing course based on its own research, the company instead poured millions into efforts to dupe the public about those consequences. We also know that President Donald Trump once called climate change a Chinese hoax (although he later claimed he was joking), and the man he appointed to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, even denied the most basic scientific finding concerning global warming: that CO2 emissions trap heat in the atmosphere. That fact was proven by scientists more than 150 years ago!

These misinformation efforts have thus far been all too effective. They’ve obstructed progress by normalizing outright denial of science so effectively that the U. S .

has more climate change deniers than any other country. And they have created a political and cultural divide so deep that the very topic of global warming has become almost taboo for some to discuss in polite company. According to a 2015 study, 74 percent of Americans rarely, if ever, discuss climate change. It is difficult to dispel misinformation about something you are not supposed to talk about. This makes it all the more important for climate activists to break the silence and engage in civil debate with those who have been misled. The goal of this section is not to encourage you to convince every climate denier you run into; it is to make you feel confident that if a lively debate is occurring, you’re armed with the facts and reasoning to set the record straight. Rest assured that the science is on your side. You just have to remember some basic questions and responses, brought to you in part by the Climate Reality Project. SkepticalScience. com is also a fantastic resource for novel and effective ways of interacting with climate deniers. Don’t be dissuaded if some

denier says, “I don’t want to

talk about it.” Don’t let that

stop you. Speak up. 1.

How can there be global warming when it’s snowing outside?

We still have winter—and we still have “natural variability.” This means that the fluctuations from season to season and from day to day still exist. And that means that some days will still be cold. But if

you look at the bell curves on SHIFT IN SUMMER

TEMPERATURES, you will see that, on average, there has been an enormous increase in hot days and extremely hot days, while there has been a sharp decrease in the number of cold days. In fact, some say that’s one of the reasons we notice the cold days a lot more when they do show up. Global warming is about broader, longterm climate trends scientists are seeing around the world, as opposed to local weather patterns. Daily temperatures may rise and fall, but it’s the long-term heating trend that matters. There are multiple signals of this long-term trend: winter comes later and spring comes earlier. Summers are longer and hotter. All of the natural systems of the Earth—including plants and animals—are forced to adjust to the dramatic changes underway. All of the ice-covered regions of the world are melting and sea level is rising. It is getting so hot in some regions of North Africa and the Middle East that scientists are now predicting that parts of the Earth that are now heavily populated will become uninhabitable. 2.

Why do some deniers claim that the Earth has been cooling since 1998?

To begin with, all the temperature records around the world demonstrate very clearly that this assertion is completely false. It’s true that 1998 was a warm year, and for a few years after 1998, its temperature record was not broken. However, the record set in 1998 has since been broken many times. The hottest year of all was 2016; the second hottest was the year before; the third hottest was the

year before that. You can find the graph here: GLOBAL LAND AND

OCEAN TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES. If the person claiming the world is cooling also tells you that the moon landing was faked, it might be time to end the conversation. But do it respectfully and politely—just don’t waste any more time. DENIERS CAN MISLEAD BY CHERRY-PICKING SHORT TIME FRAMES

SOURCE: SKEPTICALSCIENCE. COM

3.

How do you explain the fact that not all scientists agree the climate is changing?

Multiple peer-reviewed studies confirm that 97 percent of the world’s top climate scientists publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals agree that man-made pollution is the principal cause of global warming. In fact, during the past few years, less than 0.1 percent of climate research rejects the consensus. Every national academy of science in the world agrees, as does every major scientific organization. Several of the tiny group of scientists who disagree with the consensus have shadowy financial ties to the fossil fuel industry. Here, I find an analogy works well. For example, if you have chest pains and were somehow able to get advice from the 100 leading heart doctors in the world, what would you do if 97 of the 100 expressed alarm and told you that you needed to go to the hospital right away?

Would you do nothing because three of the 100 doctors say they just aren’t sure and you don’t need to do anything?

4.

Natural cycles have always influenced planetary climate. How can you really believe

humans could possibly have that much impact?

Humanity has become the largest force of nature affecting the ecological system of the Earth because of three factors working together: First, we have quadrupled our population in less than a century; second, we now have at our disposal technologies far more powerful than any that people in prior eras could have dreamed of; and third, our obsession with short-term thinking in the new hyper-global economy has served to blind us to the impact of what we are doing—most of all in using the most vulnerable part of the Earth’s system, the atmosphere, as an open sewer. While it’s true that natural cycles have an impact on climate, human activities are now overwhelming all of those natural cycles—primarily because we are spewing 110 million tons of man-made global warming pollution into the atmosphere every 24 hours and it is trapping as much extra heat energy as 400,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every day. But again, man-made global warming pollution now overwhelms all the natural factors put together. 5.

Plants need carbon dioxide, and we need

plants. So how is more CO supposed to be 2

a bad thing?

Carbon dioxide is necessary for life on Earth. We all need it to help retain the sun’s heat, and plants of course need it to “breathe.” Some plants, it’s true, do appreciate an extra dose of carbon dioxide. But others are damaged by excess CO , which reduces the level of 2 nutrients in many food crops and increases the damage done by many plant pests. Moreover, even those trees and other plants that can theoretically grow faster with more CO cannot do so without concomitant 2

increases in soil nutrients and other factors also necessary for a higher growth rate. In addition, the disruption of the water cycle by excessive CO levels 2 in the atmosphere hurts many food crops. Already, we’re seeing major devastation to many valuable food crops, including reduced yields from corn and wheat due to the heat stress directly linked to excessive CO .

2

A person looks out at Glacier Blomstrandbreen in the high Arctic. Svalbard, Norway, 1922

A Greenpeace campaigner looks out at the now retreated Glacier Blomstrandbreen in the high Arctic. Svalbard, Norway, July 2002

Unnamed glacier, southwest Greenland. Ujaraannaq Valley, Greenland, Summer 1935

Same location, southwest Greenland. Ujaraannaq Valley, Greenland, Summer 2013

6.

We all breathe out carbon dioxide. Are you saying we should all stop doing that, too?

Let’s all take a breath here—because breathing has nothing to do with global warming. Each of us breathes out about 2.2 pounds of carbon dioxide a day, which might sound like a problem when you consider there are more than 7 billion of us doing it all day, every day. But that’s not the case, because we are participating in a closed cycle. That is, the carbon we breathe out comes from the food we eat, whether directly from plants, which take it in via photosynthesis, or indirectly from meat. So we get carbon from plants, breathe it out, and they take it in again. Burning dirty energy is a completely different story. When we dig up and burn coal, oil, or gas, we are bringing carbon into the air that has been stored underground for millions of years. And once we’ve released that carbon genie from the bottle and into the atmosphere, it can remain there for hundreds of years—some of it for thousands of years. 7.

How can a couple of degrees be such a big deal?

The average human body temperature, at 37ºC (98.6ºF ), is much higher than the current average global surface temperature on Earth —14.8ºC (58.7ºF ).

The 20th century average was 13.9ºC (57ºF), and yet an increase of 2ºC (3.6ºF ) in your body temperature is a reason to go to the doctor and see what’s wrong. And if it’s not a temporary increase but a long-lasting one, and if it continues to increase day after day, the doctor is likely to tell you that you have a serious health problem. The same is true for the Earth. We have given it a fever, and the fever keeps going up. All of the delicately balanced ecological systems are stressed by the increasing temperatures. Climatologists predict that a 2ºC (3.6ºF ) rise above the pre-industrial average would have devastating effects on plants and animals, food crops, and public health. And unfortunately, that is exactly where we are heading in just another 30 years. Unless we stop loading the atmosphere with even more heat-trapping pollution, temperatures could increase by 4ºC to 5ºC (7.2ºF to 9ºF) in the lifetime of the millennial generation. Also, bear in mind that the problem is not just a problem of surface temperature—it is also about the many other consequences of a 2ºC (3.6ºF ) increase, such as the disruption of the water cycle, the accelerated melting of ice leading to sea level rise, and all the other consequences described in Part I of this book. What’s more, a quick review of historical climate trends shows us that even the increase of less than 1ºC (1.8ºF ) since 1980 has already caused a dramatic increase in extreme weather events, from intense rainstorms and severe droughts to more frequent heat waves. These events will only worsen unless we act now. A scientist releases a weather balloon, which measures atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity. Antarctica 8.

Won’t limiting emissions also limit jobs

and economic growth?

A fast growing category of new jobs is in renewable energy, efficiency improvements, and the Sustainability Revolution. For example, solar jobs in the United States are growing 17 times faster than average job growth, and the fastest-growing job occupation is wind turbine technician. Numerous economic studies have now proven that limiting emissions does not limit economic dynamism. The good news is that exactly the opposite is true. And the economic losses of climate change are mounting, already costing the world as much as $1.2 trillion per year. Every year, climate change is responsible for 400,000 lives lost, from mega-storms like Superstorm Sandy and Typhoon Haiyan to the impact of vector-borne diseases—not to mention the millions of deaths from conventional air pollution generated by the burning of fossil fuels. Maintaining our dependence on dirty fossil fuels would not only devastate public health and the environment, it would also prevent us from gaining the many economic benefits of the job-intensive transformation to a clean energy economy. One study, for example, found that decarbonizing the electric system would boost global GDP by $19 trillion between now and 2050.

9.

If warming is inevitable, even if we went 100 percent renewable, then what is the point?

Yes, climate change is happening. We have already suffered some regrettable losses, and unfortunately, we cannot go back in time to stop what we have started. However, we can still prevent the catastrophic damage that we would otherwise suffer by acting boldly and quickly to limit and then reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Obstructionist attitudes, even on the

part of believers, can range from

denial of the problem to indifference,

nonchalant resignation or blind

confidence in technical solutions. We

require a new and universal

solidarity.”

—Pope Francis

10.

For the sake of argument, let’s say I get on board with climate science. What can one person do?

The good news is that there is plenty we can do now to help reduce the impact of climate change. Each of us can take steps individually, but all of us must act as citizens to ensure that our government—and others around the world —takes collective action to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and move to a clean energy economy. This means that we not only have to change our light bulbs, we have to change our laws. We can also choose the products we buy with an eye to minimizing the impact on the climate. This sends a powerful signal to business and industry that they need to offer more climate-friendly goods and services. For more information

Check out the “Truth in 10” slideshow at inconvenientsequel. com

Look for the Skeptical Science app on iTunes or Google Play for

on-the-go, science-based responses to skeptics. You can back up your arguments with graphs and charts available

from NASA at climate. nasa .gov/earth-apps. The Climate Reality Project has answers for questions from

deniers at climaterealityproject. org /content/12-questions-every-

climate-activist-hears-and-what-say. PROFILE

Oren Lyons Jr. Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy

ONONDAGA, NEW YORK

Oren Lyons Jr. was the eldest of seven siblings who grew up

on an Onondaga reservation in upstate New York. In the early

1940s, when he was a young teen and his father left the

family, it became his responsibility to provide for the family

by hunting, fishing, and gathering firewood. “I was pretty much hunting for the family,” said Lyons,

who is now 87 years old. “Our life was tough, hard, but we

had a lot of fun. We got to a certain age where we were in the

woods all day long.”

From early on, it was clear that Lyons was a talented artist. After serving as a heavy machine gunner in the 82nd Airborne

Division during the 1950s, he was accepted to Syracuse

University on a lacrosse scholarship, where he studied at the

College of Fine Arts. He was an all-American, on the same

team with the legendary Jim Brown. Lacrosse, of course, was

invented by the Iroquois. When he graduated, he moved to

New York City and stayed at the YMCA, determined to

become a professional artist. He eventually found a job as a commercial artist for

Norcross Greeting Cards, where he rose through the ranks to

become the director of art and planning. He married and

bought a house in New Jersey. Everything changed when his aunt, who served as a Clan

Mother back home, asked if he could take a leadership role in

the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation of the Iroquois

Confederacy. Lyons was taken aback; in many ways, he’d

traded that life for the American Dream. He took a year to

research the history, culture, and cosmology of his ancestors,

then decided to accept a position on the Council of Chiefs. In the end, the combined workload of his corporate job

and Council responsibilities was too much. “I thought I could

stay in New York and do it, but it didn’t work out,” he said. “It

was too much, and I had to go home.”

In the wake of that decision, he embraced his role as an

advocate for the Iroquois. He became a professor of Native

American history and culture at the University of Buffalo,

protested development projects on indigenous land, and

attracted the attention of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, both of

whom visited Lyons in Onondaga in 1971.

Lyons also helped found the Traditional Circle of Indian

Elders and Youth and traveled internationally to learn about

issues facing indigenous people around the world. He wrote

multiple books, edited a magazine called Daybreak, and in

1977 joined a delegation in Geneva that successfully lobbied

the United Nations to recognize the status of indigenous

people. Over the years, Lyons’s attention turned to the

environment, and to the connections between climate change

and the rights of native people. “I think the point of no return for global warming is much

closer than people think,” he said. “I’ve been up to Greenland

twice now. You want to get scared, take a look at what’s going

on up there.”

Lyons points to the Onondaga’s yearly cycle of

ceremonies—when the sap begins to flow from the maple tree,

when planting begins, at the first harvest, at the midwinter—as

the type of touchstone that has kept the Iroquois society in

harmony with the Earth for thousands of years. Native people have suffered terribly during centuries of

colonialism, he argues, and the effects of environmental

degradation are likely to be the most severe for

disenfranchised populations. Lyons wonders whether the

world’s policy makers might benefit from the traditional

wisdom of indigenous groups. He reflects sometimes on an

ancient Iroquois law that suggests considering the effects of

current actions on the people who will be alive in seven

generations. “When I was growing up as a kid, seven generations were

easy to see,” he said, sighing. “It was like forever. Now, it’s

pretty god darn murky.”

Lyons takes strength, he says, in his memories of his

close-to-the-Earth childhood on the Onondaga reservation and

in the rich tribal traditions he rediscovered over the course of

his life. “We were instructed as leaders: never take hope from the

people,” he said. “So regardless, you’ve got to strive on.”

Lyons participates in the People’s Climate March. New York, New York, September 21, 2014

OceanofPDF. com

Find a Career in Renewable

Energy

You can dedicate your life to fighting climate change without becoming a full-time volunteer or sacrificing your livelihood. For example, solar jobs in the United States are growing 17 times

faster than average job growth, and the fastest-growing occupation is wind turbine technician. Whether you’re in corporate headquarters or out on the solar or wind farm, a job in renewable energy is a great way to fight climate change every day. An employee checks a cable on a Vestas wind turbine. Osterild, Denmark, April 18, 2016

There are two main ways to break into this exciting industry:

1.

Use your technical talents. Are you an electrical contractor and want to diversify your skills?

If so, there are exciting new opportunities to adapt your technical abilities to the clean energy revolution. Many have found it valuable to become certified as a solar technician. The U. S .

Department of Energy lists places across the country

where people can get various types of training for renewable

energy jobs at energy. gov /eere/education/find-trainings. If you wish to pursue certification, solar installers should visit

nabcep. org /certification and wind installers can explore

energy. gov /eere/wind/wind-testing-and-certification. 2.

Use your other skills. Renewable energy companies have many needs beyond technical expertise—from sales and marketing to human resources. This means there are many opportunities to work for firms helping to solve the climate crisis even if you do not have technical skills. Non-technical types of renewable energy careers include:

– Accounting and administration – Research and data analysis – Procurement and outsourcing – Construction

– Sales and marketing

– Support services from facilities management to legal support and recruitment

QUICK TIP

Get inspired by real-world stories of people joining the

solar economy at www. stories .solar, a project of the

Southern Environmental Law Center. Once you’ve chosen a direction, make the switch:

Network. Attend renewable energy events and conferences to educate yourself about the industry and meet new people. Learn from and introduce yourself to the experts; show them you are curious and motivated to participate. Follow industry news. Read industry publications and follow leaders on social media. This will help you to show depth of knowledge in your cover letters and interviews. Go to school. Consider taking an elective in sustainable business at your local college or through an online course. Be an activist. Your skills may speak for themselves, but your passion for advancing climate solutions can help set you apart from other candidates in your field. Practice explaining why you want to work in this industry. Stand out as a well-informed, well-intentioned activist who is as excited about fighting climate change as you are about being productive in the business side of companies that are part of the solution. A solar technician at work. We are going to win this; we

are going to solve this crisis. The key is solving it quickly

enough. That's why it matters

that so many people are

organizing to accelerate the

solutions. PROFILE

Wei-Tai Kwok

COO of Amber Kinetics, Inc. and Climate Reality Leader

LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA

Wei-Tai Kwok should have been happy. His family life, with a

wife and two school-age children, was fulfilling. He had built

his Bay Area firm, Dae Advertising, into an industry power

player with a client list that included Disney and Apple. But when he saw An Inconvenient Truth, it set him on a

course that would come to change everything. In the days after

the screening, he found himself preoccupied by the ways

global climate change would affect the lives of his kids, then

aged nine and six. As he tends to do, he confronted his

concerns by researching them meticulously—and what he

found angered him. He was perturbed not just at the policy

makers who, he came to believe, weren’t doing enough to cut

carbon emissions, but also at himself for a lifetime of

complacency. “I got mad,” he said. “I realized that not only was I not

part of the solution, but I was part of the problem. It became

an ethical issue to me that was intolerable. I could not enjoy

being at work anymore.”

Kwok attended my 2013 Climate Reality Leadership

training in Chicago, where he learned to apply his experience

in corporate communications to giving presentations about

climate science. Afterward, he set the goal of reaching 1,000

people in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, and when he

met it, he doubled his goal—and reached it—the following

year. Kwok also decided to dedicate his professional life to

climate progress by leaving his advertising firm for a series of

jobs in the clean energy sector, including stints at Suntech

Power, NRG Energy, and Andalay Solar. He’s currently

serving as the chief operating officer for Amber Kinetics, a

Union City, California, startup working on a mechanical

battery that stores energy using a flywheel. Now, working with renewable energy during the day and

as a Climate Leader after hours, Kwok has turned the climate

crisis into an opportunity to build a brighter future for the

Earth. He credits that growth to the diversity and camaraderie

of his fellow climate leaders in Chicago. “It was so inspiring,” he said, “to sit with people of all

ages and genders and creeds and work together to solve this

problem. It filled me with hope.”

To learn more about becoming a Climate Reality Leader, see

“Become a Climate Reality Leader”.

OceanofPDF. com

Make Your Business More

Sustainable

Businesses have the opportunity to be on the front lines of the Sustainability Revolution. Whether you are a business owner who can make the decisions yourself or a dedicated

employee willing to push for change from within, every business can and should pollute less and help fight the climate crisis by achieving maximum efficiency and leveraging the passions of its employees to make it happen. 1.

Make the business case. From those with entry-level jobs all the way up to those in the C-suites, every employee of a company can encourage more sustainability. In most cases, success depends upon winning support from colleagues, managers, and other stakeholders. Here are some arguments that can help you explain how sustainability efforts benefit the business where you work:

Sustainability can reduce operating costs and improve business intelligence. By using smart building technology to facilitate and monitor energy use, operations managers can not only ensure that systems like heating and cooling run more efficiently, they can also use predictive analytics to drive future performance and planning. Attracting consumers and employees. In a recent poll, 64 percent of global CEOs said that Corporate Social Responsibility goals were core to their business, in part because they help drive public and partner trust. Furthermore, brands with demonstrated sustainability goals are seeing a growth in consumer sales. That means promoting a climate agenda can improve your reputation and support profitability at the same time. This is also important for attracting and retaining employees who want their work to reflect their values, an increasingly important factor for job satisfaction among younger employees. Solar panels mounted above a parking area serve double-duty providing shade for the cars below. Sustainability is more affordable than you think. Renewables and “smart building” technology—everything from lighting sensors to solar systems—are getting less expensive every year. Plus, there are many valuable legal and financial incentives for energy efficiency programs, such as tax credits, fee reductions, waivers, and even expedited building permits. Turn wasted space into energy and value. An empty rooftop or vacant parking lot sizzling in the sun can be covered with solar panels. More details for building your case can be found at

usgbc. org /articles/business-case-green-building. Position yourself as an early leader. The need for businesses to embrace a sustainable approach is growing due to increasing external forces, including policy changes like a price on carbon, pressure from large investors to disclose climate risk (especially if their supply chains are vulnerable) and to identify opportunities for emissions reductions, and rapid technological changes that are undermining existing business models. This is why major corporations worldwide are moving quickly to adopt renewable energy and to innovate with new products that address fast-growing markets focused on sustainability. A new cycle bridge called “The Bicycle Snake” provides increased accessibility and safety for cyclists. Copenhagen, Denmark, July 14, 2014

2.

Invest in clean energy and efficiency. Buildings use about 40 percent of the total energy consumed in the U. S ., making them a vital place to focus our efforts. Here are some ways to improve energy use and reduce your organization’s carbon footprint:

Assess the situation. Start by understanding where you are now. Benchmark your energy use by identifying the ratio of economic output to emissions or researching the ratio of electricity consumption to employees in your company. A great resource for per-employee benchmarks is g20-energy-

efficiency. enerdata .net/indicators/unit-electricity-consumption-of-

services-per-employee. html .

You can also use a carbon footprint calculator to assess your

baseline; try the one at coolclimate. berkeley .edu/business-

calculator. Identify areas of opportunity. Approximately 30 percent of energy used in buildings is wasted, so there are likely many ways you could improve efficiency. Here are a few places to look:

The building envelope. Leaky or poorly insulated walls, windows, and doors waste energy. Updating these thermal barriers can keep the building operating at higher efficiency. An EnergyStar roof can reduce peak cooling demand by 10 to 15 percent. Building systems. Heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) comprises about 34 percent of an average commercial building’s energy use. EnergyStar systems typically use 10 to 20 percent less energy than conventional products. Lighting and computers also require a lot of energy, so look for savings potential here, too, from ensuring the use of LED bulbs to investing in “smart lighting.”

Energy supply. If onsite development of renewables is not an option, look at your utility’s green power options. Your firm may also be able to purchase renewable energy credits. Check for potential incentives in your state through the Database

of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency at dsireusa. org .

Build your strategy. Set clear goals for energy savings, tactics, and timelines. Identify project stakeholders, communicate the plan clearly, and work together—for example, to research HVAC systems that would work for your office. Decide who will be responsible for advancing the plan and how to measure progress. When you reach your goal, celebrate!

3.

Make it easy to be green. While energy systems for buildings are a huge part of the equation, day-to-day use also adds up. Try these ideas to make your workplace more conducive to climate-friendly behavior:

Empower recycling. Make sure your workplace has easily accessible recycling bins. Choose green supplies. Make sure the supply closet is stocked with environmentally friendly options, such as refillable toner and inkjet cartridges, reusable dishes, and Forest Stewardship Council–certified paper. Buy in bulk to save on packaging. Reduce paper waste. Encourage colleagues to reduce paper use in simple ways, such as printing double-sided and using online collaboration tools that reduce the need for paper documents. Prevent e-waste. Most electronics include harmful materials that can be recycled safely. The EPA lists major nationwide retailers that offer computer,

battery, and cell phone recycling options at

epa. gov /recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling. Engage with your colleagues. Survey people to find out what actions they think are important, then use that knowledge to design a program that best reflects your organization’s values. Ongoing idea exchanges via internal meetings as well as lunch-and-learn seminars with experts will keep your colleagues connected. Create a climate action team. Form a group that brings together the most passionate people from across the organization, ideally including at least one person from each department. Define your purpose, outline key goals and tactics, and designate roles. Organize actions and initiatives. Rally people around special events, such as Bike to Work day. Look for creative ways to incentivize participation. Promote climate-friendly benefits. Among the employee benefits that can also help the planet are pretax public transportation passes, tuition support, climate-related performance bonuses, and socially responsible investment choices within a pension or 401(k) program. “What is the business case for an

economic system that says it is

cheaper to destroy the Earth than to

take care of it?

How did such a

fantasy system that defies common

sense even come to be?

How did we

—all of us—get swept up in its siren’s

song?”

—Ray Anderson, late chairman of Interface, Inc. OceanofPDF. com

Run for Office

You might be surprised to learn how many

opportunities there are to become an elected government official. While there are only 537 federal offices in the U. S ., there are more than half a million opportunities to run for office in the more than 90,000 government units, including city and county positions, school boards, water districts, and so on. You don’t need a degree in political science or a track record in local politics to get elected. In fact, the House of Representatives is made up of an increasingly large share of people from business backgrounds, and a broad mix of professions can be found in any public office, from English teachers to scientists. Each office comes with its own opportunity to influence. A woman waves a flag at a presidential rally at the Santa Monica High School Football Field. Santa Monica, California, May 23, 2016

1.

Assess your prospects. Visit your city, county, or state Board of Elections to learn which offices will be on the ballot soon. When choosing the office you’d like to run for, consider whether factors like your skills, experience, and network could resonate with voters for one particular office over another. It’s also worth considering whether you are interested in challenging an incumbent, or running for an open office. Then think about your answers to some relevant questions, such as: Can you meet the eligibility requirements?

Are you ready to look people in the eye and ask them for their support?

Although running for office has in recent years required a lot of fundraising, this appears to be changing. Some candidates for office during the last election—including one prominent candidate for U. S .

president—demonstrated that it is now possible to raise money on the Internet in small amounts from lots of people. In addition, campaigns for local offices typically cost much less. Many candidates have been elected on shoestring budgets. Make sure that you have support from your family and others who could be personally affected by your decision to run for office. “Progress occurs when courageous,

skillful leaders seize the opportunity

to change things for the better.”

—Harry S. Truman, Former U. S .

President

2.

Lay the groundwork. Get organized well in advance of making any formal announcement of your candidacy. It is critical that you become visibly active in the community, attending important events, meeting with influencers, and talking with people about the issues you and they care about. If you are new to town, or have been otherwise engaged, it is never too late to get involved. Act now, enlisting your family and close friends to help you in these early days. 3.

Build your campaign team. Campaign teams vary in size depending on the campaign. The key roles you may need to fill include a campaign manager, directors in charge of finance, communications, politics, and outreach, as well as a volunteer coordinator and a treasurer. Baltimore mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson canvasses in the Charles Village neighborhood. Baltimore, Maryland, March 26, 2016

4.

Craft your message. Why should you win?

What are your goals while in office?

How will you see them through?

These are questions you and your campaign will have to answer every day, in every encounter. Create a simple, memorable, and unified campaign message to ensure voters know who you are and what you stand for. To develop that message, you need a strong sense of who your target voters are, and how to appeal to them. Study voter demographics in your area. Who do you need to win over?

5.

Rally support. Once you have a campaign strategy, it is time to get the word out there and connect with as many voters as possible. Do this by prioritizing:

Door-to-door canvassing and phone banking

Online engagement

Town halls and other public speaking events

Fundraisers

Coalitions and endorsements

Advertising and PR

Running for office is hard work—as is being a public official. In terms of making direct and lasting impacts in the fight against climate change, though, there’s hardly a better choice to make. One more thing—and it’s actually the most important thing—always remember why you got involved in your campaign in the first place and hold true to your values. Don’t ever compromise your integrity. Stay focused on your objectives to bring positive change. Talking with voters during my first U. S .

Congressional campaign. Rural Middle Tennessee, July 29, 1976

PROFILE

Steven Miles

Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef, and a Climate Reality Leader

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

About 10 years ago, when Steven Miles’s wife was pregnant

with their first child, he started to worry about climate change. The couple intended to raise a family in Australia’s coastal

Queensland, and the threat of rising sea levels began to alarm

him. “Climate change is already affecting Queensland,” Miles

said. “We’re having hotter and hotter days, more cyclones. My

motivation in politics was always about future generations—

like education and the economy—but when you think about it,

all of those things will be impacted if we can’t stop the planet

from getting hotter.”

After Miles saw An Inconvenient Truth, he traveled to

Melbourne to take part in the Climate Reality Training

program I led there in 2007.

Afterward, while working day

jobs for trade unions and nonprofits and completing a PhD in

political science, he became engrossed with Queensland’s lush

coastal biosphere—and how it has come to be menaced by the

changing climate. He became especially concerned with the Great Barrier

Reef, a marvel of the natural world that runs down the length

of Queensland’s shoreline. Scientists believe it to be the

largest structure on Earth made of living organisms, and its

rich ecosystem shelters many endangered and vulnerable

species of whales and sea turtles. The reef is also, Miles learned, straining under

unprecedented environmental stress. The warming ocean has

caused a series of catastrophic “bleaching events,” which

occur when higher temperatures cause the disruption of a

symbiotic relationship between the coral and beneficial

organisms called zooxanthellae, which provide nutrients to the

coral. If the damage continues unchecked, the entire

ecosystem could collapse. The bleaching started in 1998 and

continues to this day; in the summer of 2016, the reef suffered

its most serious bleaching event in history. “It was catastrophic,” Miles said. “The amount of coral

that hasn’t recovered is enormous.”

By 2014, Miles and his wife had three children, and it was

on their behalf that he mounted a successful campaign for

parliament under the slogan “Miles Better for the Reef.” His

former colleagues were supportive of his environmental

message, with one union leader from his days in labor

advocacy quipping that “there ain’t no jobs on a dead planet.”

When he was elected in early 2015, Miles was appointed

environmental minister, and he immediately dedicated himself

to protecting Queensland’s natural habitats. He increased

spending on koala conservation, pushed for mining and land

rehabilitation reform, and, of course, worked diligently to

protect the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland alone can’t change the global climate, but

Miles hopes that if the state can reduce strain on the reef

through local legislation that fights fertilizer runoff and other

threats, it will buy the reef enough time for countries around

the world to unite against carbon emissions and stop or

reverse the coral bleaching for good. “We’re actually putting a lot of stress on the reef through

localized pollution,” he said. “The scientists tell me that if we

can take the pressure off from that, we can give the reef extra

time to confront global warming.”

With the reef’s future teetering on the brink, he also hopes

that Queensland can reduce its own carbon footprint. Australia

is largely dependent on fossil fuels for electricity and

transportation, but Miles believes the country is poised for an

energy revolution as it invests in a mix of photovoltaic, solar-

thermal, and wind infrastructure for a greener future. In the service of those goals, Miles maintains a frenetic

schedule. When we spoke on the phone for this book, he had

to take a short break in the middle for a live interview with a

local radio station about water-quality testing in the Fitzroy

River Basin. Miles sees the Paris Agreement, which Australia

ratified late last year, as a watershed moment in the

international struggle for climate progress. He senses a

momentum that he’s never felt before, especially among

business leaders, who, he believes, are starting to see

environmental responsibility as a corporate duty. “I’ve felt a real shift post-Paris in the business sector,” he

said. “Multinational companies want to be in business in 2050,

so they have long-term plans, and they’re building into their

plans the targets that were set in Paris.”

Miles’s advice for climate activists around the world who

want to make a change in their home communities is simple:

start educating yourself on how to run for office, even if it’s

just a local position, in order to push for positive change at a

grassroots level. “I am optimistic,” he said. “I think you have to be.”

Bleached coral from a mass-bleaching event in 2017.

Pixie

Reef, near Cairns Australia, March 3, 2017

OceanofPDF. com

Walk the Walk

While it’s great to encourage your family, friends,

and community to be more climate conscious, it’s important you, yourself, practice what you preach. You should lead by example by shrinking your carbon footprint and making climate-friendlier consumer choices. People will expect it, and they should. Furthermore, it will help you understand the intricacies of sustainable living and better inform your

decisions. 1.

Evaluate your current impact and set a target. Calculate how much energy you use by looking at your utility bills and setting a specific goal for reducing it: for example, 10 percent in six months. It might help to use the EPA’s Carbon Footprint Calculator at

epa. gov /carbon-footprint-calculator. 2.

Audit your home. Search your home for opportunities to reach your goal. Inspect each room, making a list of everything that is plugged in. Look for and note any outright energy drains, such as drafts. Consider bringing in a professional to conduct an even more thorough evaluation, including inspecting major appliances and identifying areas that are missing insulation. The Department of Energy estimates that following a professional auditor’s recommendations for efficiency upgrades can result in saving up to 30 percent on your energy bill. Learn more at energy. gov /energysaver/professional-home-energy-

audits. QUICK TIP

Use power strips to cut the flow of electricity to standby

devices, like TVs and computers, which can suck up

energy even when they are off. 3.

Look for ways to save. Heating, cooling, and hot water. Keeping a home heated and cooled comprises about half of the energy use in a typical American house, while water heating represents about 18 percent. There are simple ways to lower those figures. Use a programmable thermostat and make sure your water heater is insulated against heat loss. You may want to go further and invest in new, more efficient systems, which can often save more money than the purchase price in just a few years. In addition, solar water heaters are eligible for tax credits through 2021.

Any place with an outlet. The average household owns dozens of consumer electronics, which add up to 12 percent of a home’s electricity use. Consider updating to more efficient options, which you can find at

energystar. gov .

It is estimated that if every TV sold in the U. S .

was EnergyStar– certified, 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions would be averted each year. Garden. Planting the right trees around your home will help clean the air— and can add valuable shade that can reduce energy bills. Tree cover can naturally trim summer air-conditioning bills by up to 35 percent. Consider starting a compost pile, which helps save the energy used to transport food waste and keeps decaying organic matter from contributing methane emissions to a landfill. Garage or driveway. First, leave the car behind as often as you can. There are also several ways to improve your carbon footprint when using your vehicle, such as avoiding idling and keeping your tires inflated to the right pressure, which can save up to 10 percent on fuel. When it is time to replace your current vehicle, choose a more efficient option, ideally an electric vehicle. Research available federal tax credits for EVs at

fueleconomy. gov /feg/taxevb. shtml .

Preschool students plant apple trees in an event organized by the German Forest Protection Community for Day of the Forest. Near Baerenthoren, Germany, March 21, 2017

4.

Make the switch: consider going solar at home. You should start by asking your electric utility to switch to clean energy. Google has a great tool called Project Sunroof which shows you your solar options. To learn more, visit google. com /get/sunroof. OceanofPDF. com

Eat with the Planet in Mind

The EPA has reported that all the emissions

from the “electric power, transportation, industrial, and agricultural sectors associated with growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of food” account for a significant percentage of U. S .

emissions. Whether it’s by eating less meat or buying local, you should consider agriculture and its pollutant by-products whenever shopping or eating out. A tractor pulling a weed harrow on farmland. June 19, 2012

1.

Eat less meat, especially red meat. Eating a lot of meat results in more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the inefficient transfer of plant energy to animal energy, which creates a larger impact on the climate per calorie. Cutting down on the amount of meat you eat, especially red meat, can have a significant effect on emissions—and, doctors say, also improve your health. 2.

Make plant-based food a bigger part of your diet. Because of meat’s heavy GHG emissions, lowering your intake even slightly can have an impact. Going one or two days a week without meat is a good start. Plant-based foods like lentils, beans, and whole grains are great sources of protein. If you do want to eat meat, try swapping out beef and pork for chicken, dairy, eggs, or fish, which have much lower carbon footprints. 3.

Go local. Transportation makes up of about 11 percent of food-related emissions. Eating only local foods for a year would avert the carbon emissions associated with driving 1,000 miles in a passenger vehicle. Use localharvest. org to find nearby sources of local foods,

including farmers’ markets. 4.

Buy foods that don’t contribute to deforestation. Deforestation contributes 10 percent of all GHG emissions. Check the websites of the brands you use to be sure they have pledged to deforestation-free supply chains, and check Greenpeace’s scorecards of how they are really doing. A customer browses produce in a local grocery store. Yangon, Myanmar, March 11, 2017

5.

Buy in bulk. After you’ve found your favorite low-emission food items, consider buying more of them. Buying more food at one time, assuming you eat it all, will save you trips to the grocery store, and, in turn, reduce your emissions. 6.

Buy organic. A study found that organic agriculture uses 30 to 50 percent less energy than traditional agriculture. “Food production is a main driver of

biodiversity loss and a large

contributor to climate change and

pollution, so our food choices

matter.”

—Bojana Bajzelj, Researcher at University of Cambridge

The Boqueria market. Barcelona, Spain, March 1, 2014

DEEP DIVE

Support Organic Agriculture

Farmers stand on the front lines of the climate struggle—not

only because they often feel the brunt of severe weather and

drought, but also because they have the power to help reverse

climate change with every crop they grow. Since humans began farming the earth, the world’s soils

have lost 30 percent to 75 percent of their carbon content. Not

only does this mean that some of that carbon is now in the

atmosphere, contributing to the climate crisis, but it also means

less fertile soil and lower yields. Depletion of soil carbon has

worsened with intensive, modern farming practices like the

dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, tillage, and

monocropping, all of which disrupt soil’s natural carbon storage

capabilities. The good news is that the soil offers a truly down-to-earth

opportunity to fight climate change. According to the Rodale

Institute, an agricultural research nonprofit based in Kutztown,

Pennsylvania, by using organic, regenerative soil management

methods, farmers can play a significant role in taking carbon

out of the atmosphere and putting it in the ground, converting it

from a greenhouse gas into a food-producing asset. The

organization’s research shows that by switching current

croplands and pastures to organic management practices, we

could potentially sequester a nontrivial percentage of current

annual CO emissions. 2

Regenerative organic agriculture comprises a range of time-

tested practices that contribute to soil’s ability to retain carbon. Many of these are easy and relatively inexpensive to adopt. For

example, cover cropping, mulching, and composting all help

keep organic matter (i. e ., carbon) in the soil. They also include

conservation tillage or no-till farming, which can play a vital role

in keeping plant residue in the soil and reducing erosion. Regenerative, organic agriculture can be economical too

because it helps farmers maintain yields and improve farm

profitability. Meanwhile, demand for organic produce has been rising

dramatically over the past decade, with pesticide-free fare now

sold in most mainstream grocery stores. According to the

Organic Trade Association, in 2015, Americans spent more

than $43 billion on organic products, and nearly 22,000

businesses earned organic certification, up a record 12 percent

from the year before. Still, the organic market is dwarfed by conventional food

production which currently accounts for more than three

quarters of all fruit and vegetable sales. So it’s important that

we use our hard-won dollars to help show the broader industry

that organic is not just a nice-to-have—it’s better for the Earth

and, for many consumers, it’s a must-have. Restructuring our global food system is a massive

undertaking, and one that each of us can contribute to by voting

with our forks and our wallets. Educate yourself on where your

food comes from by reading labels, getting online to learn more,

and talking with your local farmers about their climate-friendly

practices. Learn more at rodaleinstitute. org /regenerative-organic-

agriculture-and-climate-change. Morning at the Rodale Institute, an organic farm since

1947.

Kutztown, Pennsylvania, October 18, 2016

Cotton scraps collected by the TAL Garment Manufacturing group and remade into reclaimed cotton clothing by Patagonia. OceanofPDF. com

Vote with Your Dollars

The industries that profit from the destruction of our planet rely on your hard-earned money to justify their fossil fuel habits. One of the most basic and potent forms of power we have is our ability to decide where and how we spend our

money. Regardless of your financial situation, there are some simple ways to make sure you’re supporting businesses that are part of the solution rather than the problem. 1.

Study before you buy. You already research the products and brands you buy for price. You can also examine their business practices. Look for companies that have made an explicit and authentic commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly practices. 2.

Invest with climate in mind. Investment is a powerful tool to support eco-friendly companies. And if you have investments in polluting companies, divesting can be a strong form of protest, as well as a wise move. Over the past few years, large investment fund companies have lost billions due to their investments in fossil fuels. Seek out financial advisers and investment firms that have made a strong commitment to eco-friendly values. Look closely at your investment portfolio to make sure all the companies you invest in follow meaningful “Environmental, Social, Governance” (ESG) criteria. Companies that meet rigorous ESG criteria are more likely to be socially responsible environmental stewards and have an ethical corporate culture. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, has proven that corporations can be sustainable as well as profitable. Ventura, California, January 23, 2010

3.

Make more efficient travel plans. Travel is an area where almost every family can easily reduce its carbon footprint. Look for hotels that have green business practices, such as those

who participate in the Green Hotels Association, which you can

learn about at greenhotels. com .

Some airlines are better than others, or offer carbon offset options. Try to fly less overall. Consider exploring national forests or state parks near your hometown for vacation. The manufacturing of Nike Air bags, where 90 percent of waste is recycled and reused. Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation Facility, February 2017

4.

Green your banking. Keep your money with institutions that support climate advocacy work. Some organizations, including CREDO Action, the Sierra Club, and the League of Conservation Voters, offer their own credit cards, so your interest payments go to support environmental activism instead of Wall Street. Smaller banks and credit unions are more likely to fund clean energy and local advocacy work. 5.

Give to the movement. Reducing your own environmental impact is just a start. We all need to support the groups and nonprofits that spend every day fighting for the future of our planet. Set personal goals for how much you can donate every month. Pick organizations that are doing work you believe in, and where your money will make the greatest difference. OceanofPDF. com

How to Create and Host Events

The author Malcolm Gladwell wrote an

influential essay a few years ago called “Small Change,” which perceptively described the relative weakness of any strategy for organizing that puts its sole emphasis on clicking boxes on the Internet. Online organizing plays a crucial role, but in order to develop a stronger sense of cohesion and commitment among those you are organizing, it is essential to hold in-person

events. Marches, concerts, film screenings, town hall and city council meetings, teach-ins, and student rallies can have enormous impacts —including recruiting new activists, generating media coverage, and putting pressure on decision makers. The Live Earth concert, which inspired people to find and act on solutions to climate change. Rio De Janiero, Brazil, July 7, 2007

1.

Have a Strategy. Getting 100, 500, or 1,000 people to come to a rally or other event is great, but if you don’t have a plan to leverage that attendance into political power and action, it might be a waste of time. Before you start organizing, take the time to identify some clear goals, such as recruiting 5-10 new members or volunteers, collecting 100 postcards to send to legislators, raising a certain amount of money, or gathering 50 new email addresses or phone numbers. Think about how achieving these short-term goals will help you achieve your longer-term goals, like getting a policy changed or dramatically increasing public awareness of a climate issue. Demonstrators march on the British parliament as part of the Time to Act march. London, England, March 7, 2015

2.

Choose what kind of event you’d like to put on. Rallies, marches, and demonstrations. Be sure to set reasonable goals. Think of how you can make the event visually compelling and successful even if only a small number of people show up. You don’t need large numbers of people to get attention for your cause. Get creative and consider using costumes, props, and theatrics to convey your message. Most importantly, make sure that your demonstration is seen and heard by the people you’re trying to influence and inspire. You can mobilize on the sidewalk outside a corporate headquarters or on the steps of your city hall. If possible, organize the demonstration during business hours so that the decision makers you are trying to influence will see it. If you choose a weekend to increase attendance, be sure to alert the media and collect photos and video to send to your target and the press and to share on social media. The Climate Reality Project also hosts regular Days of Action—try planning an event on one of these days to increase attention by linking to a larger organization. In the U. S ., the First Amendment protects the right to assemble. In most cities, you can organize demonstrations on public sidewalks without any need for a permit. Larger demonstrations and marches that take over the street often do require a permit. Most city government websites have some information about permits for public events, so do your research to avoid any conflict. Boycotts. If a business in your community is engaging in irresponsible practices that are harmful to the planet, you may want to take the extraordinary step of organizing a boycott. However, once you call for a boycott, you need to back it up. Organize a picket line outside the business you are boycotting and have volunteers pass out leaflets encouraging customers to spend their money elsewhere. Make sure to have clear, achievable demands so that the company knows what they need to do to get the boycott to stop. Your goal is to make it more economically or politically costly for them to continue the negative practice than it is for them to agree to your demands. Letter-writing parties and phone banking. As noted in “Be an Involved Citizen”, it’s important to regularly contact your elected officials and other decision makers, but it’s a lot more fun—and a lot more effective—to organize an event with a group of people who are doing the same. Provide materials for people to use to write letters or send postcards to their representatives, or printed scripts for people who want to make phone calls. Serve refreshments, and keep it light and fun. “We cannot condemn our children,

and their children, to a future that is

beyond their capacity to repair.”

—Barack Obama, Former U. S .

President

Women grab postcards during a local postcard-writing event. Boulder, Colorado, January 29, 2017

Help others learn more about the climate crisis and its solutions. Show your support for climate action by going to see An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power at your local theater. Bring your family, friends, and peers to share the experience and start a conversation about how your community can get involved. After An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is released for home viewing, host a movie party with your friends or family. Be sure to open the floor to discussion after the film, and have a facilitator or expert there who can keep the conversation productive and offer concrete action steps. If you would like to host a public screening of either of my films, contact Paramount Pictures at (323) 956-5000 and ask for the Repertory/Non-Theatrical Department. Climate Reality presentations. The Climate Reality Project gives presentations focused on climate science and climate action. At a Climate Reality Leader presentation, participants learn about the impacts of climate change on a local and global level, solutions to solving the climate crisis, and what you and your organization can do to fight climate change and create a better future for the planet. You can request a free Climate Reality presentation by going to

realityhub. climaterealityproject .org/events/attendpresentation. Once you’ve requested a presentation, follow the event hosting advice above to promote it. Benefit parties. You probably already have organizing experience, even if you have only hosted a small gathering of friends. A benefit party isn’t much different—you just ask your guests to make a donation to the cause. You can have someone collect donations at the door or “pass the hat.” Offer refreshments, put on music, and tell your friends to invite their friends. These events can be casual, but take some time to talk to the guests one-on-one and as a group. Explain what you’re raising money for, why it’s important, and how they can get more involved. QUICK TIP

See the section “Become a Climate Reality Leader” to

learn how to become a Climate Reality Leader and

make your own climate presentations. Fundraising meals. Consider organizing a breakfast, lunch, or dinner event to raise funds. Cook a tasty and inexpensive meal yourself, or ask local restaurants to donate or offer discounted food to support the cause. Charge a flat rate or sliding scale donation for entry to the meal, and give your guests opportunities to contribute more if they can. Some restaurants will let you host fundraising events in their space, and donate a portion of their profits. Concerts and performances. Partner with local or national artists who are sympathetic to your cause and who can draw a crowd. They may be willing to donate their labor, but you will often want to offer them a percentage of the money raised or an honorarium. If you treat the artists well, they will be more likely to promote your event to their fan base. It’s often helpful to partner with a local venue or a promoter who has experience with local venues, sound equipment, and local music press. Just because there’s music doesn’t mean your event can’t also include short, upbeat speeches or announcements from local groups between musical acts. Have a charismatic host to remind the audience of the purpose of the event and give them ways to take action or get involved. If you’re partnering with a well-known artist or band, contact local media outlets and offer them an interview with your performer before or during the event. Prep the performers with talking points ahead of time. 3.

Get people to come. Every event is different, and you’ll need to make decisions based on your goals, your audience, and your resources. But there are some key “best practices” that apply to almost any event, whether it’s a loud demonstration or a black-tie gala. Every organizer who has hosted events has had the fear, “What if no one comes?” To avoid this scenario, it’s important to recognize how much work it takes to turn large numbers of people out to an event. You’ll need to use every tool in the toolbox, whether you’re trying to fill a venue that holds 50 people or 5,000.

Here are some basics for every event:

Don’t go it alone. Your events will be more successful if you have help organizing them. Find collaborators who can bring their own ideas and social networks to the table. Partner with other organizations and divide up the responsibilities related to the event. Pick the right venue. Where your event happens is important. Remember the old rule of thumb: make sure you can fill the space. A large crowd overflowing a small space sends a powerful message. The same size crowd, dwarfed by a large venue with lots of empty seats sends a weak message. Pick a central location that’s easily accessible by public transportation and/or has ample parking available. Spaces that are already well known to the activist community, like progressive churches (or other houses of worship), bookstores, music venues, or community centers, are often best. College campuses may have a variety of spaces that you can rent or reserve for free through a student organization or friendly professor. Promote shamelessly. You need to be a champion of your event. Create a Facebook event and invite all your connections. Then message the guests and ask them to invite their friends. Post the link to your event in relevant online groups and forums, email it to your mailing list, and ask local organizations to share it with their members. You can also create an online form using a service like Action Network, NationBuilder, or Google Forms where people can RSVP for your event by providing their name and contact information. That way you can email them the day before the event to remind them or send them relevant information. For larger events like mass demonstrations, you may want to set up a custom webpage with information about the event and an easy way for people to sign up for updates. Hand out flyers or postcards at other similar happenings, on college campuses, or at the grocery store. During the COP21 conference, demonstrators paint the roads surrounding the Arc de Triomphe with non-polluting water-based paint to create the image of a sun. Paris, France, December 11, 2015

Leverage word of mouth. Directly invite as many people as possible, and get commitments from them that they’ll be there. Telephone trees also work extremely well. Asking someone to bring something, like snacks, or to play a volunteer role at the event is a great way to make them feel more connected—and committed. “We are the first generation that can

put an end to poverty and we are the

last generation that can put an end to

climate change.”

—Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary General of the U. N .

Utilize advertising and media. If you have a budget, even a small one, consider Facebook or Twitter ads to promote your event to a targeted audience, or consider taking out an ad in your local paper or on your local radio station. Often, local TV stations will mention your event as a public service, if you let them know about it in advance. Then move on to getting media coverage. Most local outlets have event listings that you can submit to for free. Contact local journalists who cover politics and the environment and encourage them to write about your event in advance, or make it one of their “weekly picks.” See

“Magnify Your Impact with Press Coverage” for more tips on getting press coverage. Create compelling visuals. Make your event stand out. Take the time to create attractive posters, handbills, and online graphics. You don’t need to be a

designer—free online services like Canva. com have templates that make this easy for anyone (though it won’t hurt to enlist a designer on your team).

Don’t crowd your outreach materials with information —just provide the key details, and direct people to an email address

or website where they can learn more. See the interview for Shepard Fairey’s advice for designing fantastic demonstration materials. 3.

Manage a successful event. Regardless of size, the day of the event will probably be a little stressful and require some running around to take care of logistics. Make sure you have a good team of volunteers to help, and that everyone knows what they are responsible for ahead of time. If a few people show up to your event early, put them to work. Here are some roles you will likely need to fill:

Greeters to welcome people as they come in, ask them to sign in

with their name, email, and phone number, and collect donations if applicable. Hosts and emcees to make announcements, keep the program

running smoothly, and keep the crowd energized and engaged. Servers and bartenders to help sell or give away food or drinks. Canvassers to work the crowd asking people to take various types

of actions like signing a postcard to local lawmakers, opting in to receive text messages, or signing a paper petition. This may not be necessary at smaller events, but it is key for larger and outdoor events. Security might be needed if you’re concerned about

counterdemonstrators or someone disrupting your event. It’s always good to have a few people who are on the lookout for potential problems, and they should be trained in de-escalation and conflict management to help quickly address anything that comes up. Stage managers to make sure that speakers, performers, and

others are where they need to be when you need them there, and to keep things running smoothly. 5.

Design great event materials. Put your message front and center at every event. Be sure to have signs, banners, stickers, buttons, or T-shirts available for your audience to show their support. You can also provide posterboard and markers for people to make their own signs. Here are some basic tips for designing effective materials:

Keep it simple: you want your message to be immediately

understandable and legible from a distance, so keep it short, to the point, and bold. Use large fonts and contrast to make your words stand out. Black

letters on a white background, or vice versa, are always a good way to go. Get creative: humor, compelling images, and memorable slogans

will help you reach more people. Spend some time brainstorming ideas with others. Don’t break the bank: you can get banners, signs, and other

materials professionally printed, but it’s expensive. Consider hosting a banner-painting or sign-making party a week before your demonstration or event. Not only will you save money, you’ll build excitement for the event itself. INTERVIEW

Indivisible

Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, Co-Founders

WASHINGTON, D. C .

Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin are two of the former

congressional staffers behind the Indivisible Guide, an online

handbook and website dedicated to empowering activists to

resist the Trump administration’s agenda. It’s an effective

group: in fact, my youngest daughter, Sarah Maiani, is a

member of the Indivisible group in Santa Barbara, California. Earlier this year, Greenberg and Levin, a married couple, sat

down with me to talk about the origins of Indivisible and the

most effective ways you can engage with your local

representatives. AL GORE: You’ve cited the Tea Party as an inspiration for

Indivisible. Why do you think the Tea Party was so

effective, and what can other activists learn from it?

EZRA LEVIN: After the election, we realized that, putting

aside the Tea Party’s racism and violence, they were smart on

strategy. They implemented a defensive strategy focused on

their own representatives. They went to public events and

town halls and made calls. It worked. They took down a lot of

the agenda of Barack Obama, a historically popular president

with an enormous congressional majority. LEAH GREENBERG: When I was working for

Representative Tom Perriello (D-Virginia), the Tea Party took

up a lot of mental space in the office. Whatever we were

doing, you had to think about what their response was going

to be. AG: What are some examples of effective activism you’ve

seen since the 2016 election?

EL: One thing that blew us away was the first congressional

recess, in February 2017, when every member of Congress

goes back home to listen to their constituents. Local

Indivisible groups have been doing phenomenal work in

helping people organize and attend town halls. In response,

many Republican members have actually refused to hold town

halls. We’ve even seen people holding their own town halls: if

their representative showed up, great; otherwise, they were

ready with a cardboard cutout or an empty chair. LG: The thing that has struck me is the power of stories. In

early January, a group of constituents brought into Virginia

Representative Barbara Comstock’s office a family that was

threatened by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. This

family had a 10-year-old daughter who has a preexisting

condition; without treatment, she would die. These stories can

change what is seen as possible. AG: What’s the story behind the name “Indivisible”?

LG: We were trying to think of something that was rooted in

American history, but also encompassed the full diversity of

America today. The only way to respond to a demagogue who

is threatening components of our civic society is to treat an

attack on one as an attack on all. AG: How can the way a congressional office responds to

an outcry by its constituents have an impact on the way

elected officials make decisions?

EL: Members of Congress want to be reelected. That means

they care about how their constituents view them and how the

local press treats them. Our theory of change here is that any

individual member of Congress cares much more about their

image back home than about any one thing that President

Trump is trying to get done. AG: What steps can activists take to avoid burnout?

EL: That’s front and center in our minds right now. The

scenario we want to avoid is that two years from now, the

story becomes, “Remember back in 2017, when we all did

activism for a while?” These are everyday citizens who are

giving up their nights and weekends to fight for things they

believe in. It’s important to build a sense of community. AG: If someone reading this book wants to become

politically active, what should they do?

EL: Go and get involved in your local Indivisible group. Go to

IndivisibleGuide. com and type in your zip code. No matter

where you are in the country, you will find a group near you. Get involved on your own turf. Indivisible volunteers hold hands at the Women’s March. Washington, D. C ., January 21, 2017

INTERVIEW

Shepard Fairey

Artist and Founder of OBEY Clothing

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Shepard Fairey is a pioneering figure in the street art

movement and an outspoken advocate for social and

environmental justice. His work has achieved near ubiquity

both through his company, OBEY, and the now famous 2008

“Hope” poster depicting Barack Obama. Early in 2017, we sat

down to discuss ways that artists and activists can work

together to fight climate change. AL GORE: How did you first become concerned with the

climate movement?

SHEPARD FAIREY: I had an abstract understanding of how

our growing population, on a planet with finite resources, was

a problem. But really, it was seeing An Inconvenient Truth. It

had a dramatic impact on me. The entire presentation was very

persuasive, and it led me to do more research, and it woke me

up to the urgency of addressing climate change. AG: Your work has raised awareness of the most pressing

social issues of our time. Based on your experience, what

is the role of art in inspiring social activism?

SF: I think the great thing about art is that it affects people

emotionally, so it can break through predispositions. If a

verbal or written argument doesn’t register, it’s easy to block it

out. When art connects to something human, that’s where the

magic is. Shepard Fairey painting “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” mural

in Paris, 2016.

AG: What advice would you give to climate activists who

want to incorporate art and design into their activism?

SF: One of the challenges with climate change is that it’s a big

issue with a lot of different variables. It’s hard to nail down

just one symbol for it, and people often try to get too many

ideas into one piece. I’d encourage people to convey

something relatable. Let a smokestack be a symbol. Let rising

sea levels be a symbol. AG: You’ve used the word “propaganda” to describe your

work. What do you mean by that?

And to turn our last

question around, how can a person create effective

propaganda?

SF: I try to be very transparent about what I’m doing. I use the

word “propaganda” to encourage people to be realistic about

analyzing everything that comes at them, including what I’m

sending their way. When a corporation or politician is saying

that the science isn’t solid enough on climate change, you

need to look at what their real reason for that is. AG: If you’re using art to build momentum behind a

movement, what’s more important: quantity or quality?

SF: I have a whole section in my biggest monograph, Supply

& Demand, called “Repetition Works.” What’s fascinating

about virally transmitting images is that people

subconsciously understand which way the tide is moving. I

think pop cultural symbols, like the peace sign, had a lot to do

with the move away from supporting the Vietnam War. I want

to see the same thing happen with climate change. Fairey paints a Project C:Change Mural called “Peace

Elephant.”

Hong Kong, October 25, 2016

A San Diego rally against climate change on February 21, 2017.

A movie poster for An Inconvenient Sequel. In opposition to the policies of Donald Trump, Greenpeace protesters hang a banner reading “Resist” from a crane behind the White House. A protester displays a sign at the 2017 San Diego rally. Over 1,000 activists protest the Dakota Access Pipeline at the U. S .

District Court in Washington, D. C .

A 2015 climate march in Berlin. A participant at the Global Climate March in Berlin, on the eve of the opening of the U. N .

climate summit in Paris. Shepard Fairey’s poster for the 2014 People’s Climate March. It is wrong to pollute this

Earth and destroy the climate

balance. It is right to give hope to the

future generation. OceanofPDF. com

Become a Climate Reality

Leader

The Climate Reality Leadership Corps is a diverse, global network of passionate people dedicated to fighting climate change through informative presentations, events, policies, and

action. Each of the more than 12,000 Climate Reality Leaders have been through my trainings—

multiday events that present not only the science of global warming, but also teach leaders essential skills in communicating the challenges and solutions to the crisis. By giving their own presentations to organizations around the world, they are building a 21st-century movement for climate action. Climate Reality Leadership Corps training. Shenzhen, China, June 2016

The Climate Reality Project’s mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society. One of the main ways it does this is by training a network of cultural leaders, organizers, scientists, storytellers, and other citizens around the world to explain the climate crisis and its various solutions. This book provides a glimpse of the training that Climate Reality Leaders get at two- and three-day workshops—but there is so much more to experience and learn at these events. In the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, exceptional leaders are trained through a suite of in-depth programming on science, communications, and organizing. 1.

What does it mean to be a Climate Reality Leader?

A Climate Reality Leader is a change-maker who is committed to promoting understanding of the climate crisis and its solutions—and stimulating action by those who want to help solve it. Each one has been trained by a set of experts to speak truth to power, to stand up to anti-science climate denial and the well-funded dirty energy lobby, and to motivate their friends, colleagues, and neighbors to help solve the crisis. As of this writing there are more than 12,000 Climate Reality Leaders making a difference through action and engagement with their local networks. They are inspiring communities around the world to take climate action now. By the way, 100 percent of the profits I would have otherwise received from An Inconvenient Truth and the book of the same name went to finance the founding of the Climate Reality Project. The same is true of the profits from this book and the movie of the same name. One of the principal ways Climate Leaders serve is by giving their own version of the updated slideshow about the impacts of—and solutions to—the climate crisis. They also inform their audiences about what they can do to support the shift to clean, renewable energy. We need more people involved in this fight, and spreading this information through free, engaging, targeted presentations is a crucial action. 2.

How can I attend a Climate Reality Leader’s presentation?

Customized Climate Reality presentations can be organized anywhere, from a library or city hall to a local influencer’s living room. When you attend one of these regularly updated, multimedia presentations, you will learn about the global climate crisis, the clean energy revolution, and local issues and opportunities. To learn about presentations near you, visit Climate Reality at

realityhub. climaterealityproject .org/events/attendpresentation. Here, you can sort by Title, Venue, or Description, or explore an interactive map of upcoming presentations. If you find an event you would like to attend, take a second to register for a free account, then RSVP to the presentation in your area. Give us three days, we’ll give you the

tools to change the world. —The Climate Reality Leadership Corps motto

3.

How can I train to be a Climate Reality Leader?

Are you ready to help lead the movement?

Attend a multiday Climate Reality Leadership Corps training session to learn the ropes from renowned climate scientists and communicators. I personally attend all three days of these training programs as well. Since 2006, 35 of these inspiring, hands-on training events have been held in cities from Istanbul to Shenzhen, Jakarta to Rio de Janeiro—and of course, in cities throughout the United States. While each training is unique, depending on when and where it takes place, they all offer in-depth learning about what is happening to our planet, as well as the real-world storytelling skills it takes to inspire others to take action. 4.

What will I learn?

Several speakers and panelists are lined up for each training, from leading climate scientists who will offer the latest in data and predictive analytics, to communications experts who will train you in the skills of persuasive speaking, in-person outreach, digital activism, and media relations. A mix of hands-on workshopping, expert lectures, and meaningful networking prepare you to build broad grassroots support for your endeavors. To learn when the next training will be taking place, visit

climaterealityproject. org /training. 5.

What happens when the training is over?

Within a year of completing the training, each Climate Leader is expected to perform 10 “Acts of Leadership.” Of course, some Climate Leaders end up performing more than 100 acts of leadership each year. These acts can take a variety of forms. For example, giving a presentation, writing a blog or letter to the editor, organizing a film screening, meeting with local, state, or federal leaders, or taking part in a day of action. Some speaking events may be arranged for you through the Climate Reality Project, but for the most part, Climate Leaders are responsible for seeking out opportunities. Leaders can keep in touch with one another by using the Reality Hub, an online community of Climate Reality Leaders and other changemakers. Visit realityhub. climaterealityproject .org to explore and connect

with a global community of climate activists. Attendees of The Climate Reality Project’s 24th Climate Reality Leadership Corps training. Johannesburg, South Africa, March 12, 2014

OceanofPDF. com

Give Your Own Climate Change

Presentation

The most important task for Climate Reality Leaders is to spread the word: to give free and engaging climate change presentations to their own audiences. Much of the Leaders’ training is

focused on these presentations. In conjunction with the release of this book and the film An Inconvenient Sequel, I am making available a compact, 10-minute version of the slideshow for you to download and use in your own climate presentations. The fight against the

climate crisis needs more people—including you. 1.

Get the presentation. Download the “Truth in 10” slideshow at InconvenientSequel. com .

2.

Find your audience. Your book club, your church, your family, your company—you probably already have several natural audiences for a presentation. Starting small is a good strategy, but don’t be afraid to bring the presentation to bigger groups; they may be even more interested. 3.

Be prepared. This book and An Inconvenient Sequel are both great training for giving the presentation. Be sure to rehearse before you present. Find the right pace and try narrating it out loud, by yourself. Think about the questions you may get and be prepared with answers. 4.

Make it personal. A good presentation tells a story. While the facts of the climate crisis are compelling, your own connection to the issue and your suggestions for actions you and the audience can take are what people will remember most. Add personal observations where you can to make it clear that you have a stake in the fight. Explain (and show) why solving the climate crisis means so much to you, and how its impacts and solutions will affect your audience. 5.

Manage your time, hope, and complexity budgets. You’ll have three budgets with an audience, make sure you use them carefully. Time. People will give you only a certain amount of their time. The more personal and interesting your story is though, the more time they will allow. Hope. You never want your audience to lose hope. Yet in telling the climate change story, some truths are hard to hear. Before showing examples of the suffering climate-related events are causing, I warn my audience that these examples are hard to see, but to hold on— hope is coming. Complexity. Everyone has a threshold for processing complex information. Tailor the overall complexity of your message to your audience, and be sure to alternate difficult concepts with information that’s easier to absorb. 6.

Use an array of visuals. There are a variety of ways to make the data and your story more powerful, entertaining, and informative. Here are some examples of the types of slides I include in every presentation, and why I use them. You may want to adopt these practices when making your own slideshow. Set the stage. I always start my slideshows with this photo. It was the first full-disk view of Earth we ever saw, and it helped to spark a new era of environmental protections. This view reminds us that we are all connected, and all in this fight together. Explain the science. lnfographics like this can help to explain complicated systems or concepts clearly. Step-by-step illustrations can help to engage audience members who might tune out a complex message delivered only through text or pictures. Stay within the “hope budget.”

Photos of recent extreme weather- or climate-related events remind people of the urgency of the crisis and the need to solve it quickly. But be judicious in the number of examples you give. It’s easy to deplete your audience’s “hope budget.”

Isolate startling facts. Important points sometimes deserve to stand on their own. At other times, pairing them with a relevant image can convey a deeper meaning. Here the text is enhanced with a photo of an endangered species (the golden poison frog).

Show the proof. Choose your charts wisely, using relatively simple examples that illustrate a dramatic change. Going overboard with charts and graphs can quickly exhaust the “complexity budget.”

Use appropriate imagery. Combine text with images that reflect a similar tone. Here, the photo gives a sense of place while the open sky and dramatic lighting signify hope. The moving boat conveys the idea that we are all moving forward, together. 7.

Do it again. Once isn’t enough. You’ll get better and more comfortable each time you give the presentation. It’s important that we spread the truth about the climate crisis as widely as we can. The more you do it, the larger your network and influence will grow, and the more effective you will be in the fight to protect our planet. The fight against climate

change will not be easy. We

will encounter a series of

NO’s. The great American poet

Wallace Stevens wrote one of

my favorite lines:

“After the final no there

comes a yes and on that yes

the future world depends.”

OceanofPDF. com

CONCLUSION

Those of us who are privileged to be alive in these early decades of the 21st century are called upon to make decisions of great consequence. Indeed, it is not an overstatement to say that the entire future of humanity depends upon whether or not we rise to the challenge before us. The climate crisis is the most serious and threatening

manifestation of an underlying collision between human civilization as it is presently organized and the ecological system of the Earth— upon which the fortunes and future prospects of our civilization, and our species, depend. Our population has quadrupled in less than a century and is

predicted to continue growing in the present century from 7.4 billion in 2017 to 9.7 billion in the next 33 years, and to 11 billion or more by 2100.

Population growth is slowly stabilizing as girls are educated, women are empowered, fertility management is made widely available and child mortality continues to decline. This aspect of our relationship to the Earth is, in spite of the great challenges growing populations will pose in some regions, a success story unfolding in slow motion. But the impact we have on the natural systems of the Earth is

magnified enormously by the awesome power of the technologies that have become available to us since the Industrial and Scientific Revolutions. In particular, any decision to continue relying on dirty and polluting carbon fuels threatens to massively disrupt the climate conditions that have given rise to the flourishing of civilization and have supported the rich and diverse web of life that is integral to our survival. Global warming is the most threatening part of our ecological crisis because the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet is the most vulnerable part of the Earth’s system. But there is a third factor that has led to this crisis, one that is

more consequential than either population or technology. It is our way of thinking and the values on which we base the decisions we make. In particular, short-term decision-making is now commonplace in politics, culture, business, and industry. And it is now abundantly clear that if we continue to ignore the long-range consequences of our present actions and behaviors, we will put our future at dire risk. A march to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, North Dakota, September 9, 2016

The good news—the exciting news—is that we already know that

we can change the way we think. We know it with certainty because we have made historic changes in our ways of thinking before. Every great moral cause in human history was initially launched at a time when the overwhelming majority of men and women believed that the change called for was not only impractical but completely implausible. As the late Nelson Mandela said, “It is always impossible until it is done.”

This aphorism is true for the abolition movement, the women’s

suffrage movement, the civil rights movement in the United States, the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and more recently, the gay rights movement in the United States and in nations around the world. As each of these moral causes gained more supporters, the changes they called for were met with increasingly fierce opposition. Each renewed call to do the right thing was met with a resounding “No!”

Azuri Technologies’ pay-as-you-go solar panel brings solar power to rural areas. Nimule, South Sudan

And in every one of these historic struggles, those fighting for

justice, faced with a seemingly endless and implacable resistance, came to doubt that victory would ever come. In the bleakest hours of the U. S .

civil rights struggle, Martin Luther King Jr. answered some of his followers who plaintively asked how long it would be before they won. “How long?” he replied, “Not long!

Because no lie can live

forever.… How long?

Not long!

Because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. How long?

Not long!”

A mere five years ago, if someone had predicted that in the year

2017 gay marriage would be legal throughout the United States and would be not only supported but honored and celebrated by two-thirds of the American people, I would have responded by saying, “I hope so, but I’m afraid that is extremely wishful thinking.”

The pattern is always the same: once the underbrush of

obfuscation, straw men, and distractions are cleared away and the underlying issue is resolved into a binary choice between what is clearly right and what is clearly wrong, then the outcome becomes preordained—because of who we are as human beings. And then the change comes quickly. As the late economist Rudi Dornbusch once observed, “Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.”

We are close—very close—to a similar tipping point in the great

moral cause that is the climate movement. Every day now, millions more are awakening to the realization that it is wrong to destroy the future of the human race, and it is right to give future generations the well-being, justice, prosperity, and hope to which they are rightfully entitled. It is also important to note the relationship between solutions to

the climate crisis and the current state of the global economy. There is, at present, a growing concern about the weakness of “secular demand” throughout the global economy. The recovery from the Great Recession, which began in early 2009, has not created enough new jobs to boost incomes—and spending—in the U. S .

and in many other countries. As a result, many economists have expressed concern that the global economy is in danger of slipping into another recession. Moreover, the stagnation of wages since the mid-1970s is believed by most to be a principal underlying cause of the political unrest fueling the rise of populist authoritarianism. Meanwhile, in addition to the impact of hyper-globalization, the

accelerating impact of intelligent automation is continuing to exert downward pressure on wages and is continuing to eliminate jobs in a pattern that convinces many observers that conventional economic theory—which tells us that automation always creates more jobs than it eliminates—may no longer be valid. And the reason seems to be that the extension of cognitive capacities along with physical capacities is a game changer. In these unusual and new economic circumstances, what is most

needed to restore strength to the global economy and restore confidence in the efficacy of self-governance is a coordinated global initiative to create tens of millions of new jobs throughout the world— jobs that are not vulnerable to either outsourcing or intelligent automation. As luck would have it, the steps necessary to solve the climate

crisis are exactly the same steps that would save democracy and economic prosperity. They include: a coordinated effort to retrofit buildings in communities throughout the world; an acceleration of the transition to renewable sources of energy and higher levels of efficiency in industry and business; and a shift to sustainable transportation, agriculture, and forestry. An initiative including these steps would simultaneously heal the climate crisis and become the smartest global economic strategy we could follow. The generation of young people who will fill these new jobs are

even now joining this struggle and bringing fresh resolve—reminding us of the special role that young people have so often played in focusing the attention of their elders on the clear distinction between right and wrong. I vividly remember when I was 13 years old, hearing President

John F. Kennedy commit the United States to the inspiring goal of putting a man on the moon within 10 years. And I remember how many of my elders in 1961 felt that goal was unrealistic and perhaps even impossible. But eight years and two months later, Neil Armstrong put his foot on the surface of the moon. Two seconds later, when the news of that history-making step reached NASA’s mission control center in Houston, Texas, a great cheer went up— and the average age of the systems engineers cheering in that room was 26—which means that when they heard President Kennedy’s challenge, they were 18 years old. They changed their lives to gain the skills to match their

inspiration and become a part of history. And many of today’s 18-year-olds are doing the same. Many years from now, when they reach the age of their parents today, they will inherit the Earth we bequeath to them. And depending on the circumstances in which they find themselves, they will ask one of two questions. If they live in a world of stronger storms, worsening floods,

deeper droughts, mega-fires, tropical diseases spreading throughout vulnerable populations in all parts of the Earth, melting ice caps flooding coastal cities, unsurvivable heat extremes in the tropics and subtropics, hundreds of millions of climate refugees generating political disruptions and threatening the collapse of governance—if they face these horrors and the others of which scientists are now warning, they would be justified in looking back at us and asking, “What were you thinking?

How could you have done this to us?”

Hundreds of thousands take part in the People’s Climate March. New York, New York, September 21, 2014

But if they live in a world filled with a sense of renewal, with

hundreds of millions of new jobs created in the Sustainability Revolution, with cleaner air and water and the growing prospect of restoring the climate balance—if they have hope in their hearts and can experience the joy of telling their own children that their lives will be better still—then they will ask a different question of us: “How did you find the moral courage to change, boldly and quickly, and save our future?”

The time for us to answer that question is now—by seeking the

truth about the reality we are confronting, by using the power we all have to bring about the necessary and urgent changes, and by never forgetting that the will to change is itself a renewable resource.