Yes! What you do about the climate crisis matters

and it's normal to feel that nothing you do is enough or you don't know where to start

I write about climate change once a month. I’ve been passionate about climate change since Ronald Reagan took the solar panels off the White House. I’m writing a novel with a strong climate angle. I try to use this newsletter and social media to empower us all to be climate activists.

I had a conversation with a friend at a party recently about the climate crisis. Pretty quickly he threw up his hands and said, “Nothing I do matters. I mean, even recycling doesn’t work.”

I listened and did my best to have an empowering climate conversation instead of shoving gobs of fear and facts down his throat. But his heart wasn’t in it and he wandered off to the buffet table.

Look, I’d rather eat brownies than talk about the shit show that is COP28 and how impossible it is to understand that the oil and gas industry is actively working to kill off humanity. Like WTF guys? Where’s your survival instinct?

It doesn’t help that the scale of the crisis is so hard for our brains to grasp. You probably feel powerless like my friend - where to start? what to do! nothing matters. Or you might not want to contemplate making changes to your lifestyle — who does? — so it’s easier to turn away.

ALL OF THIS IS 10000% NORMAL. Please do not think for a second you’re a bad person! Feeling like we’re crappy environmentalists shuts us down as much as climate disinformation - maybe more!

Imperfect climate action is all you and I need to do. If we wait until we know exactly what to do that will have the maximum impact, well, that day is never ever coming.

Here’s what I’ve found: when I dropped the shame I wasn’t a flawless environmental paragon, I started taking far more constant climate actions. I talked about it in Why Bother? and it earned me a one-star review “peppered with propaganda.” So proud of that review!

Sorry about the Amazon link to my book - Bookshop.org does not have copies right now

But when I listen to the voices in my head that tell me I’m an asshole for flying and still drinking milk in my lattes, I grind to a halt and binge-watch The Gilded Age (so bad yet I can’t look away.)

This messes with us as humans — thinking we don’t know what to do or that we can’t do enough. But we do know what to do! The internet is bursting with actions you can take.

What’s holding us back from taking climate action isn’t about knowing what to do. It’s accepting that whatever we do won’t feel like enough. And it’s about changing how we live and how much we consume.

And that toxic combo? It makes us pretend we are powerless. When nothing could be further from the truth.

What you do matters. Every little bit. And talking about what you do in a non-judgemental way with friends and family has a huge impact.

Feel free to use the comments to ask questions or share what helps you stay in action. Let’s loving support each other to be climate optimists in action!

Thank you for thinking about the most important issue of our time.

Love,

Jen

P.S. Licy knows what to do.

So does Project Drawdown. Also love this video from Greta — we are pioneers! This article will help you understand why it’s hard for you or people you love to engage in the climate movement.