Let’s say we wake up and find out that Jackalope are going extinct because they are being eaten by Bigfoot. After all, they are a favorite delicacy of Bigfoot. What do we do? We probably start a Save the Jackalope campaign... of course. We have to make people aware [...]
There are no magic words. Words that you can say that will make people suddenly understand and then prevent our rapidly unfolding climate chaos. Some words are better than others, but lots of them are just junk. Of course there is more to the climate crisis than words. But [...]
What is the Reconciliation bill, what’s in it, and can we afford it? Once again, the Left and climate champions missed the messaging on the “$3.5T Reconciliation Bill,” and it may be DOA, primarily because of 3 mistakes. The Right didn’t have to spend much effort to do this, [...]
A number of friends have asked me what I think about the new IPCC report. They are quite depressed, and this is a polite way to ask me if I share their reaction. The report is stark, but also, there’s not much that is new. We’ve know this information [...]
I was talking to a friend the other day and she said, “Can’t people see the climate crisis is real? Our forests are burning. We have the worst air from smoke in the Twin Cities ever.” Of course she was right to ask the question. But my friend was [...]
Part V When I became a climate activist, I believed that there must be some phrase or a set of magic words that would get others to see the climate threat and act. Searching for these words was a fool’s errand. I knew words held power. But I was [...]
Part IV I’d like to tell you a story… I called my daughter and said, “Your son is home from the ER now, and he is going to be OK.” Imagine that you are driving in Atlanta rush hour traffic. In the middle lane. Your eight-year-old grandson is in [...]
(originally published July 2020) Part III I am giving testimony to an administrative law judge on the impact of climate change on Minnesota crops, and why we shouldn’t allow a dirty tar sands pipeline to be built in our state. There are three hundred people in the room. To [...]
Part II One day a friend of mine was helping me refine my climate talks approach. He asked me why I was interested in working in the climate movement. It’s easy I said, “I want to help others.” Then he did something very valuable for me. He asked me [...]
Part I I am frustrated. Walking out of my talk on the climate crisis, I know that I have failed. I’d prepared, rehearsed and had lots of facts about climate. The audience was polite, but at the end, their applause was tepid. While they likely care, they are unlikely [...]
