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 Women’s 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.
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.
Written by a prominent academic and science policy-maker, “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesn’t, and Why It Matters” contends that man-made climate change is indeed occurring, but points out several inconsistencies between what climate science says and what the public perceives.
“We 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.”
– 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.
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:
“This has to be everybody’s fight,” 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.
So please, support our troops and raise your voice. Thanks for helping us keep the conversation going.
Warmly,
The C-Change Conversations Team
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, “Eating for the Planet.” Katy Kinsolving, a C-Change co-founder, created it for the Garden Club of America’s 2021 National Affairs and Legislation conference. Follow Katy through the grocery store, at the farmer’s market, and in the kitchen as she shows us simple ways we all can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making better food choices – like eating more lentils, beans, and other pulses.
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,
The C-Change Conversations Team
Katy Kinsolving
Co-Founder, C-Change Conversations
I’m 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, “There’s a shock-and-awe feel to the barrage of actions, and that’s the point: taken together, they send a decisive signal about the end of one epoch and the beginning of another.”
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.
A step-by-step guide to helping your community address climate change
“What can I do?” It’s a question that we almost always get after presenting the C-Change Conversations Primer. Most of us aren’t likely to invent a new renewable energy source or broker an international agreement on climate, but we can have a big impact on decisions made by our local government. That’s important because cities and towns have the power to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help their residents adapt to the challenges presented by climate change.
We live in contentious times. This election highlighted how deeply divided we are, with each side clinging to strongly held and passionately argued views of what America means today and what it should look like tomorrow. There are many issues that separate us. Climate change should not be one of them.
Conservatives widely believe that blessings flow from accountability and that havoc results from lack of accountability. We’re people who believe in individual effort and reward and in meritocracies. A remnant of actual conservatives within the GOP still believes in thrift and balanced budgets, free markets, and free enterprise.
