CLIMATE ACTION VENN DIAGRAMS
How you – specifically you – can help with climate solutions:
To find your meaningful and bespoke way to help address the climate crisis, draw your own Climate Action Venn Diagram.
What are you good at? Think about your skills, resources, and networks. What are your areas of expertise? Who and what do you have access to? What can you bring to the table?
What is the work that needs doing? Think about system-level change. Are there particular climate and justice solutions that interest you? Maybe starting a composting program, protecting forests, or getting climate candidates elected? Heaps of options.
What brings you joy and satisfaction? What gets you out of bed in the morning? Don’t pick things that make you miserable and will burn you out! This is the long haul – find things that enliven and energize you.
The TED talk below is a 10-minute answer to the question “What can I do to help address the climate crisis?” The short answer is “get to the heart of your climate Venn!” and the talk lays out a deeper answer. [Click below to play video]
[If you’re familiar with the Japanese concept of Ikigai, think of this as a simplified, climate-focused version of that.]
The goal is to be in the heart of your Venn diagram, where these three circles overlap, for as many minutes of your life as you can. That will create way more progress on climate solutions than if each of us get sucked into obsessing about our individual carbon footprints.
Yes, the climate challenge is enormous. We need to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, agriculture, transportation, industry, and buildings. We must protect and restore ecosystems. We have to change society, policy, economy, and culture. This is about transformation.
Also yes: there is something meaningful each of us can contribute to climate solutions. This is the work of our lifetimes.