Should You Replace Your Gas Stove?
In the spirit of taking the politics out of the kitchen and focusing on the science of the issue …
Category: C-Change Blog
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Despite What WSJ Opinion Writer Says, Ice Loss is a Problem
“…there are many reasons to remain concerned about sea level rise due to the shrinking Greenland ice sheet.”
Finding Common Ground
It is difficult when family members disagree, but C-Change offers a way to find common ground. Recently we were honored to be invited to address the now politically-divisive issue of climate change by the Womenâs Alliance of Central Unitarian Church in Paramus, New Jersey as part of their fifth annual Speakers Series. The following is an adaptation of a sermon written and delivered by Katy Kinsolving, a C-Change founding member, on Sunday, October 24, 2021.
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Air Pollution and Climate Change
As a physician, I have seen firsthand the devastating health problems that air pollution can inflict: asthma attacks, strokes, heart attacks, lung cancer, and more.
Review of “Unsettled”
Written by a prominent academic and science policy-maker, âUnsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesnât, and Why It Mattersâ contends that man-made climate change is indeed occurring, but points out several inconsistencies between what climate science says and what the public perceives.
Another Way to Honor Our Military
Armed Forces Day
âWe face all kinds of threats in our line of work, but few of them truly deserve to be called existential. The climate crisis does. No nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis.â
â U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, April 23, 2021
Today is Armed Forces Day, when we celebrate men and women serving in the U.S. military. Across the country, there will be parades, speeches, and other tributes to our service members.
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As we honor them, we should remember that climate change is making their jobs more difficult and dangerous. Our military leaders are warning that we need to embrace climate action now to keep our troops safe. Here are their key points:
- Climate change is causing more conflicts. As climate change disrupts food and water sources, more areas are becoming less habitable â and conflicts over these basic resources are growing. These conflicts often exacerbate human migration and increase terrorism. This will continue to worsen as we move into mid-century and disruptions become more acute.
 -  It will be more difficult (and expensive) to train soldiers and keep them safe. Climate change makes temperatures higher and water resources less dependable, which makes it harder, and downright dangerous, for our soldiers to operate in many areas of the world. In addition, hotter, drier conditions at many of our training grounds make it dangerous to practice with live ammunition because of the risk of starting wildfires.
 - Billions of dollars of damage to military bases here and abroad has been incurred by rising sea levels and extreme weather events made worse by climate change. Even once we protect the bases, the cities near them are also threatened by sea level rise and must be built up so that personnel can get from their homes to the bases when needed.
 - Our soldiers and National Guard will be called on more often for humanitarian help both at home and around the world as floods, hurricanes, and wildfires are made more damaging and dangerous by climate change.
âThis has to be everybodyâs fight,â says Ron Keys, a retired Air Force general. We hope you will watch and share his video explaining why our military cares about climate change.
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So please, support our troops and raise your voice. Thanks for helping us keep the conversation going.
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Warmly,
The C-Change Conversations Team
Jobs, the Economy & Climate Change
The Star-Ledger has just published an opinion piece written by our founder, Kathleen Biggins, after a conservative pundit lamented that climate action was jobs-killing and would hurt our economy â something that gets repeated over and over but is simply not true. Such statements are a disservice because they only look at one small piece of the equation instead of looking at the sum of all the parts.
Every job is important to individuals and communities but a job saved today that will cost many more jobs tomorrow is a Faustian bargain. It simply makes no sense to save a job today at the cost of new, climate-friendly jobs that bring more economic growth as well as important and valuable benefits like lower health care costs and a cleaner environment.
We have to find a way to reward and protect fossil fuel workers who enabled our economic growth in the past, while pivoting to the new technologies that will ensure our economic viability in the future.
Earth Day 2021
Dear Friends,
C-Change Conversations believes that climate change is not an environmental issue, but a human one. The warming planet impacts each of us personally. Our individual choices matter, as does our willingness to come together to support policy changes at all levels of government and within the business community.
Today is Earth Day, a great day to take a step toward preserving the planet for future generations through the simple act of making better choices about what to eat.
To get started, we encourage you to watch this short video, âEating for the Planet.â Katy Kinsolving, a C-Change co-founder, created it for the Garden Club of Americaâs 2021 National Affairs and Legislation conference. Follow Katy through the grocery store, at the farmerâs market, and in the kitchen as she shows us simple ways we all can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making better food choices â like eating more lentils, beans, and other pulses.Â
Looking for other ideas of individual steps you can take to address climate change? Read our recent blog and feel free to contact us with questions.
Happy Earth Day!
Warmly,Â
The C-Change Conversations Team
Katy Kinsolving
Co-Founder, C-Change Conversations
Time to Sweat the Small Stuff
Iâm feeling really good these days, mostly because of the big shift in momentum around climate action. As Bill McKibben, a noted climate change author and journalist, wrote last month, âThereâs a shock-and-awe feel to the barrage of actions, and thatâs the point: taken together, they send a decisive signal about the end of one epoch and the beginning of another.â
Two Ways to Bridge the Divide
On January 6th, we were stunned as we watched an angry mob of citizens invade and desecrate the U.S. Capitol.
It was a startling culmination of years of divisiveness, misinformation, and demonization, stoked by pundits and politicians (on both sides). The fabric of our country is torn, and we will have to work hard to repair it.
At C-Change Conversations, we have worked to reduce the divide and help people understand that climate change is an issue that should bring us together rather than push us apart. Why? Because nature does not discern between a liberal or a conservative, or a farmer or a city dweller.
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