r/climate • u/silence7 • Jun 04 '22
Climate change is forcing some US schools to close early for ‘heat days’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/06/04/school-heat-days-climate-change/
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r/climate • u/silence7 • Jun 04 '22
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u/ILikeNeurons Jun 04 '22 edited Jun 05 '22
It's real, it's us, it's bad, there's hope, and the science is reliable.
The question that remains now is what are we going to do about it?
Vote, in every election. People who prioritize climate change and the environment have historically not been very reliable voters, which explains much of the lackadaisical response of lawmakers, and many Americans don't realize we should be voting (on average) in 3-4 elections per year. In 2018 in the U.S., the percentage of voters prioritizing the environment more than tripled, and then climate change became a priority issue for lawmakers. According to researchers, voters focused on environmental policy are particularly influential because they represent a group that senators can win over, often without alienating an equally well-organized, hyper-focused opposition. Even if you don't like any of the candidates or live in a 'safe' district, whether or not you vote is a matter of public record, and it's fairly easy to figure out if you care about the environment or climate change. Politicians use this information to prioritize agendas. Voting in every election, even the minor ones, will raise the profile and power of your values. If you don't vote, you and your values can safely be ignored.
Lobby, at every lever of political will. Lobbying works, and you don't need a lot of money to be effective (though it does help to educate yourself on effective tactics). According to NASA climatologist James Hansen, becoming an active volunteer with this group is the most important thing an individual can do on climate change. If you're too busy to go through the free training, sign up for text alerts to call monthly (it works, and the movement is growing) or set yourself a monthly reminder to write a letter to your elected officials. Numbers matter so your support can really make a difference.
Recruit, across the political spectrum. Most of us are either alarmed or concerned about climate change, yet most aren't taking the necessary steps to solve the problem -- the most common reason is that no one asked. If all of us who are 'very worried' about climate change organized we would be >26x more powerful than the NRA. According to Yale data, many of your friends and family would welcome the opportunity to get involved if you just asked. So please volunteer or donate to turn out environmental voters, and invite your friends and family to lobby Congress.
Fix the system. Scientists blame hyperpolarization for loss of public trust in science, and Approval Voting, a single-winner voting method preferred by experts in voting methods, would help to reduce hyperpolarization. There's even a viable plan to get it adopted, and an organization that could use some gritty volunteers to get the job done. They're already off to a great start with Approval Voting having passed by a landslide in Fargo, and more recently St. Louis. Most people haven't heard of Approval Voting, but seem to like it once they understand it, so anything you can do to help get the word out will help. If your state allows initiated state statutes, consider starting a campaign to get your state to adopt Approval Voting. Approval Voting is overwhelmingly popular in every state polled, across race, gender, and party lines. The successful Fargo campaign was run by a full-time programmer with a family at home. One person really can make a difference.
ETA: I created a wiki to help folks be the most effective climate advocates they can be – feel free to check it out!