Thread by @KA_Nicholas

Hi, it’s your friendly neighborhood climate scientist. Facing the #climatecrisis is tough! Here’s the essentials you need to know, tips for finding where you can contribute with purpose and meaning to the work needed, and evidence-based high-impact climate actions. A THREAD: 1/n

(A quick introduction if we haven’t met: I’m a climate and sustainability scientist @lunduniversity in Sweden. I research personal & policy climate solutions, sustainable food & land systems, & wine & climate change. My goal: a world where people and nature can thrive. 2/n)

@lunduniversity #ClimateChange science has been clear for a long time. I’ve taught this framework for over a decade:
It’s warming
It’s us
We’re sure
It’s bad
We can fix it.
(Footnotes: kimnicholas.com/climate-scienc…
Podcast w/ @ylld open.spotify.com/episode/5BrYPH…
Curriculum kimnicholas.com/climate-change…) 3/n

@lunduniversity @ylld Humans are heating the planet mostly by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. Deforestation & agriculture cause the remaining heating (and most of the #BiodiversityCrisis). To stop warming, we have to leave #FossilFuels in the ground very extremely fast. 4/n

@lunduniversity @ylld We’re sure: There is overwhelming scientific consensus (agreement on a question of fact) that it’s humans warming the climate.

In fact, humans likely more than 100% of warming! See @hausfath .
5/n

It’s *really* bad: One of the hardest parts of my career is watching dire climate predictions come true, including in places I love. My family evacuated in the 2017 fires made worse by human-caused heating. Thankfully they stayed safe, but friends lost homes and even lives. 6/n

So how do we find the courage (h/t @DrKateMarvel) to face the #ClimateCrisis?
I talked about the Five Stages of Radical Climate Acceptance:
1. Ignorance
2. Avoidance
3. Doom
4. All the Feels
5. Purpose
on @TheWorld w/ @MarcoWerman @ASKusmer

pri.org/stories/2021-0…
7/n

I've found there’s no way out but through: you have to face the uncomfortable feelings from the #ClimateCrisis including grief, fear, anger. I wrote about my climate grief for @theguardian:
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
8/n

I also write about my anger at what it feels like to be a scientist in a world that sometimes doesn’t want to hear the truth, in this piece on loving the Earth, but hating the hypocrisy and greenwashing of Earth Day:
wecanfixit.substack.com/p/voting-conse…
9/n

Please follow and listen to climate scientists, like @coralsncaves, @JacquelynGill, @KevinClimate, @Peters_Glen. @KHayhoe has a comprehensive list of "scientists who do climate". To get your climate news straight from a climate scientist: wecanfixit.substack.com
10/n

For more righteous climate anger, I recommend heated.world by @emorwee and hot-take.ghost.io/otherposts/the… by @amywestervelt & @MaryHeglar. Check out @Zlevo research on how climate anger can protect your mental health!
11/n

More and more scientists are having to grapple with how we keep up the strength and health to keep doing this work, and how we can support students who are running into a house on fire, as @DavidMalakoff wrote for @science:
sciencemag.org/news/2021/04/s…
12/n

A great resource for staying sane in the #ClimateCrisis is Gen Dread, by @brittwray. I've found really useful and actionable advice there on taking care of myself and others, and on building the community we need to get through this together.
gendread.substack.com
13/n

So how do you figure out your core values, and how to put them into practice to both create personal meaning and work towards climate stability? I discussed w/ @SigalSamuel for @voxdotcom:
vox.com/future-perfect…

Okay, let’s get practical. What can YOU actually DO, as a citizen, community member, and consumer, that makes a real difference for the #ClimateEmergency? Let’s look at the evidence.
15/n

Here’s what effective *collective* climate action actually looks like:

1. Vote (new study: wecanfixit.substack.com/p/voting-conse…)
2. Get politically active
3. Create media attention
4. Contact your rep (here’s what to say wecanfixit.substack.com/p/people-lie-a…)

Read more: wecanfixit.substack.com/p/12-ways-to-d…
16/n

Re: media attention: Some dedicated folks have been covering the climate story for years. Follow them and support their journalism! twitter.com/i/lists/129522…
But media needs to MASSIVELY step up their climate coverage. #EndClimateSilence by @DoctorVive is working on it!
17/n

How will we solve the #EcologicalEmergency? No silver bullet, but the most important step is more #PlantBased diets. I got to answer @rufuswainwright's food & #climate question on the impact of food choices, & hear a gorgeous song from his home studio: climatecontrolprojects.com/events/rufus-w…

@rufuswainwright Here’s how you can rewild your yard, grow more food where you can, support sustainable farmers: wecanfixit.substack.com/p/climate-fact…
More fundamentally, we need to rebuild our relationship with nature; here's a plan for making a hot date with Planet Earth: wecanfixit.substack.com/p/voting-conse…
19/n

@rufuswainwright We need policy changes to stop investing in, expanding, and supporting #FossilFuels. YES, AND: we cannot stabilize the #climate without high emitters (= high earners, $38,000 and up) reducing our own overconsumption, particularly flying and driving. wecanfixit.substack.com/p/pre-fire-dre…
20/n

@rufuswainwright .@themadstone wrote a great piece for @grist on why we need individual climate action from the rich grist.org/culture/cuttin….
@sethwynes & I found the most effective #climate actions are to go flight, car, & meat-free. Start by cutting at least half from where you are now. 21/n

High school and university education is currently failing at teaching #ClimateLiteracy and preparing climate citizens. kimnicholas.com/climate-educat…

If you're an educator, check out our curriculum for teaching #climate based on #IPCC: kimnicholas.com/climate-change…
22/n

Thanks for reading! This thread draws from my new book, penguinrandomhouse.com/books/665274/u….
A book club is a great way to build your climate community! I have a discussion guide here: kimnicholas.com/discussion-que…
I can join your book discussion on Zoom: kimnicholas.com/book-seminar.h…
23/n

"What can #wine tell us about the future of life on Earth?" My 40-minute talk covers the key science & solutions for the #Climate and #EcologicalCrisis, drawing from my research & that of many colleagues. Feel free to use in teaching, etc!

24/n

Busy folks (incl new parents) are using my free newsletter to build climate discussion & action groups. It's a monthly dose of facts, feelings, and action, helping you figure out what YOU can do be part of fixing the #ClimateCrisis.
Subscribe: wecanfixit.substack.com
25/n

To take your #ClimateAction advice on the go, check out podcasts where I've contributed, including:

@bbc w/ @ritula,
@guardianeco w/ @dpcarrington,
@voxdotcom w/ @SigalSamuel,
@NakedScientists, @PRHAudio, @NewClimateCap, @GenAnthropocene...
26/n

open.spotify.com/playlist/4eanB…

What about the economy? It needs to be aligned with a stable climate, from policies to end fossil subsidies & #divest from fossil fuels, to breaking up with climate-destroying banks (how-to: wecanfixit.substack.com/p/dont-be-foss…), decarbonizing industries & supply chains & portfolios.
27/n

More fundamentally, to make the just climate transformation we need, we have to replace the Exploitation Mindset (denying equality between people; at war w/ nature) w/ a Regeneration Mindset (respect & care for people & nature; reduce harm at its source; build resilience). 28/n

(Thread continues here, sorry!

Full thread unrolled for you in one place here: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1424640…)