The Art of Climate Restoration Conversation

Climate change is everywhere. It’s despairing statistics across the news, defeatist messages on social media, the heavy weight on all of our shoulders. But despite everyone lamenting about climate change, very few people talk about climate restoration –the key to achieving a sustainable and safe future. It's difficult to address overwhelming problems, so why don’t we start addressing our available solutions. Let’s dive into how we can bring climate restoration into our everyday conversations in order to pave the way towards a bright future. 

Picture Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/man-in-black-jacket-standing-beside-body-of-water-during-sunset-aocUkMcxeqI

The phrase “climate change” can feel heavy, making it even more crucial to keep an optimistic perspective. Climate restoration means ending the climate crisis by restoring our global greenhouse gas concentrations to their pre-industrial levels. For thousands of years, the planet maintained a healthy and balanced atmosphere that ensured our long term survival. We can restore that balance by using and accelerating the processes that nature has demonstrated for decades. The first step is making sure our communities know this is possible. By having simple conversations we can make climate restoration the overarching goal of climate action by 2030.  

For most of us, it’s easier to avoid climate conversations altogether than to risk saying the wrong thing, starting a debate, or seeming overly pessimistic. But when we start conversations about climate restoration, we build up the social norms necessary to mobilize the world towards this goal. Ambitious global goals are achievable because of the people who are willing to talk about them. They start with car ride chats and coffee dates. 

HAVING AN OPEN MINDSET

The goal of a climate restoration conversation isn’t to win an argument. It’s to talk. To listen. To understand. Climate change affects people in different ways—some feel it through wildfires and floods, others through rising bills or health challenges. Each person has a different connection to it, but everyone is open to learning about solutions. Our atmosphere has one trillion tons of legacy carbon dioxide that needs to be removed. It sounds daunting, but our planet has done it by itself before. If we call for climate restoration, we can help our planet do it again. Approach climate restoration conversations with an open mindset to understand how to best deliver the restoration message.  Focus on the potential future we are working towards and what that means for each individual. Remind them (and yourself): it is not too late to act. Action starts with connecting to build a better future.

CREATING YOUR CLIMATE STORY

Facts are important, but what really gets people to care is emotion. So start with why you care about climate restoration. For me, my climate story started with my dad. I remember feeling small as I sat in my backyard listening to him explain the potential consequences of climate change. I grew up with a heavy weight over my shoulders –a responsibility I didn’t know how to uphold. When I joined the Foundation for Climate Restoration, I realized there was a real path forward. We could restore our atmosphere and secure a planet where all species could thrive. I also discovered that action doesn't always mean yelling at politicians and protesting in the streets. The most crucial part of mobilizing is reaching out to others, exchanging knowledge, and learning more. 

By including your own experiences and emotions, you can humanize the problem and help others better understand why climate restoration is important to every individual. Before diving into a climate conversation, take some time to think about questions like “Why do you care about climate restoration?” “What actions have you taken to achieve it?” “How did your perspective of climate change shift after learning about it?” Understanding what caused you to care will be useful when trying to get others to care as well. 

KNOWING THE FACTS

You don’t need to be a scientist to talk about climate change. But it helps to know the big picture:

• Climate change is progressing because of a human caused increase in greenhouse gas concentrations; especially carbon dioxide. 

• Climate restoration means removing 1,000 gigatons of CO2 by 2050 to return atmospheric levels to 300 parts per million or less

• The 2015 Paris Agreement was a global promise to keep warming well below 2°C and we can do this by restoring our climate.

• Our planet has previously removed the necessary amount of carbon dioxide through natural processes that we can harness once again. 

Being prepared with these proven facts will help develop your climate conversations and give you credibility. Conversating is also a learning experience, so deeper knowledge and comfortability will come with the more you talk about climate restoration. 

STAYING OPTIMISTIC

To be honest, a lot of times climate change can feel paralyzing. I’ve definitely had spiraling moments where I felt defeated after reading a headline or watching a documentary. But what helps stay optimistic and proactive is knowing that climate restoration is a real possibility. Millions of people are already working on scalable and cost-effective strategies to help us get there. Engineers, scientists, teachers, teens, people like you and me. And every time we talk about climate restoration in an honest, open, and understanding way, we’re part of the solution too.