Climate Huddle Conversations

On Jan. 18, 2022, the Climate Witness Project hosted a virtual “Climate Huddle.” This faith-based discussion centered on principles of communication found in Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s new book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.

Part of the event’s focus was on small group conversations about climate change. Jenna VanDonselaar, one of the CRC’s Climate Witness Project (CWP) cohosts for the evening, reminded participants as they started that when having difficult conversations, it’s important not to assume what other people believe or think.

“Talking about climate change, faith, and our political views can be tender,” she noted. “I want everyone to come away from this evening feeling loved and feeling heard.”

Cohost Cameron Kritikos concurred, saying he wanted attendees to feel encouraged, convicted, and ready for follow-up action, “This is the question I want to challenge you with tonight, ‘What are we going to do?’”

To help attendees work through questions about practical action, the Climate Huddle provided several opportunities for participants to practice discussing climate change together in small-group breakout rooms, using principles from Hayhoe’s book.

VanDonselaar pointed out that in the book, Hayhoe focuses on how talking about climate change is one of the most important things we can do. Hayhoe writes, “The biggest challenge to climate change conversation is not science denial, but it’s a combination of tribalism, complacency, and fear.” So how do we get past that to have civil conversations? The questions in the breakout session aimed to guide such conversations and help participants practice discussing climate change.

As one participant noted, “It's good to bring people together to talk. Participating in a discussion helps bridge the chasm between thinking about creation care and becoming actively engaged. Having an opportunity like this to meet like-minded people who are welcoming and encouraging makes it easier to commit to becoming involved.”

Another commented, “Seeing so many people from my denomination, from all over the U.S. and Canada, who are willing to work for climate justice was so encouraging.”

After a time of small group discussions led by CWP hosts, Hayhoe herself joined the meeting. She began by reading a short passage from her book:

“In the Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy he states, ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear.’ So I think this is a litmus test. If we feel fear and we respond to climate change out of fear . . . that fear is not coming from God. Instead, Paul continues, ‘God has given us a spirit of power’ which enables us to act instead of being frozen and paralyzed. And a spirit of love, which means having compassion for others.”

According to Hayhoe, communicating with love means being careful in what words we use to discuss climate change with others.

“I don’t use the word ‘sacrifice’ to talk about dealing with climate change. It’s couched that way because for so many of us who are already acting on climate, that [term] appeals to us. We have personalities where individual sacrificing appeals to us. But I have some news for you: we’re in the vast minority.”

Instead, she posited, we should be framing climate change in terms that matter to our audience.

“Most people don’t react well to being told that they have to give up traveling, driving, having children, eating meat, using electricity, doing anything that makes life worthwhile. And they’ve already decided that if they have to sacrifice all these things in order to make a difference in climate change, well, they’d rather not, thank you very much. Does that mean all is lost? Not at all.”

It’s all about looking for the positives, Hayhoe said.

“Climate actions have so many benefits, and we should focus on those. When we talk about the changes that are needed as a society, we’re talking about [more affordable] energy solutions that will never run out on us, we’re talking about making food more accessible, reducing food waste so that more people will have food and not go hungry, improving water quality, making people’s homes and cities safer—it’s an amazing amount of good stuff. There are truly so many benefits to climate action that I think we need to emphasize those, especially with a focus on what matters to whoever it is you’re talking to.”

When asked about how to approach climate change if the political will isn’t there to act, Hayhoe responded, “So often we assume that the federal, national, or international political system has to fix this. And it would be nice if they would. But in my opinion, they’re kind of dragging behind instead of being out front. Who is out front? There are some really big companies who are out front.”

She continued, “At COP26 [the recent climate summit in Glasgow], I was encouraged to see representatives from [some of the world’s biggest companies] who were really serious about cutting their carbon emissions. And with these companies, their reach is as powerful as a midsize country. And then there were mayors from some of the world’s biggest cities. Cities are way ahead of the game! Conservative cities, liberal cities—they are out front on this! Who’s leading the charge? It’s not countries. It’s groups of people who are motivated by a coherent set of values who have decided they need to advocate for climate action for the reasons that are important to them. They are driving the governments along with them. Whatever groups we’re a part of, we can be getting out ahead and taking the federal government along with us.”

After the breakout discussions wrapped up, Hayhoe shared a bit more: “The whole purpose of my book is to show people how who we are – our unique life experiences, our unique values, our unique identities – makes us the perfect person to connect with others who share some parts of our identity.” She pointed out that making a difference on climate change requires taking what’s in our head and moving it to our heart – “why it matters to us” – and to our hands – “what we can do about it to make a difference.”

Hayhoe wrapped up the evening by answering one final question from an attendee, who asked what actions are most important to start taking.

“My answer to your question is that we need change at every level. The most important impact that changes in our individual life [can make] is not on net carbon emissions. It’s the impact . . . on others around us. I always adopt two new habits every year. But I know that the biggest impact of these changes is not on carbon emissions. It’s just a drop in the bucket. It’s the impact it has on others. I share on social media. I talk about it with other people. That’s how we change our social norms. . . . Whether we change our light bulbs or do lobbying, talk about it! Whether it is asking our university to put in charging stations for electric cars or putting our money in a bank that has climate friendly policies, talk about it! Remember, we’re a body! We are interdependent beings that depend on each other and on this planet that we all share.”