The inspiration for my TED talk? THIS 👇
However, overwhelming people with scary facts - while it may jolt the complacent out of their complacency - will only have a long-term positive result if the person receiving the information already knows what they can do to fix it and is empowered to act. And most people don't.
Instead, when we talk about climate change, two most important things to focus on are: (1) how climate change is affecting things, people and places we care about, and (2) what we can do - individually, collectively, and globally - to FIX it.
Because if we don't talk about it, why would we care? And if we don't care, why would we ever do anything to fix it? Talking is not sufficient: but it is a key first step, one that most of us aren't doing ... but all of us CAN.

ted.com/talks/katharin…

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More from @KHayhoe

8 Oct
For the gazillionth time:

Climate change is not a religion. It is a science.

Do I believe in it? No.

I look at the data, and the data is clear: it's real, it's us, it's bad, and the time to fix it is NOW.
By continuing to present it as a "belief", the media is feeding the explicitly-promoted narrative that climate change is a false, earth-worshipping religion that must be rejected by all true believers. Promoted by whom, you ask? Anyone who wants us to reject climate solutions. ImageImage
So what question should moderators - or ANYONE - be asking politicians? It's simple: ask them how they are going to FIX it. What they are going to do to keep people SAFE. How they are going to ensure the US's clean energy FUTURE. In a nutshell, how are they going to do their JOB.
Read 5 tweets
1 Oct
Trump: "we have now the lowest carbon"

Science: we have now the highest carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere in 15 million years and the highest carbon emissions from humans ever. In the U.S., carbon emissions WERE ticking down, but headed back up in 2017. Source: EPA
It is furthermore, as one who has worked and published on methane emissions in the past, plausible that the CH4 emissions in the figure above could be under-estimating natural gas leaks. See: @howarth_cornell and jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?… and nature.com/articles/d4158…
And in terms of global carbon emissions, as far back as scientists can go in the paleo record, the closest analog to today was over 50 million years ago and at that time best (tho v rough) estimate of avg annual emissions = only about ONE TENTH of today's. science2017.globalchange.gov
Read 5 tweets
25 Sep
I joined @katydaigle and @iron_emu on @Reuters yesterday to talk all things climate. We received so many questions we weren't able to get through them all so I wanted to answer a few more here. Here we go! pscp.tv/w/1gqxvagqNBjJB
First, if you'd prefer to watch our chat on YouTube, here is the link: and while you're there, don't forget to subscribe to Global Weirding too! globalweirdingseries.com
Q. What's the most serious thing standing in the way of genuinely effective action on climate?
A. Our “threat-meter” is upside-down. We see sol'ns as posing an imminent risk but impacts as distant/far off. There are many ways to help flip this. Here's one: ted.com/talks/katharin…
Read 14 tweets
24 Sep
I've spoken before about the generally unhelpful nature of purity tests and the role BP played in popularizing the concept of personal carbon footprint and by association, personal guilt ... but the results of this study made even me say WOW. journals.ametsoc.org/wcas/article/d… Image
Do not get me wrong: though climate change requires system-wide solutions, systems are made up of people and our actions DO matter. But "if everyone did X we could fix it" and "if you don't do X you are evil" alienates more potential allies than it gains, even though ..
... our motives for doing so are entirely understandable. If we really understand climate change is scares us sh**less and our natural reaction to fear is to attempt to control it and our own behaviour and that of others is a lot easier to control than multinationals and govts.
Read 10 tweets
22 Sep
For the second time this month, a person who misrepresents, distorts, and disagrees with climate science is being placed in a science position at NOAA. (read next tweet for my take on what this might mean)
This follows this first appointment of "a critic of climate modeling used to predict future conditions [who] could play a significant role in shaping the next National Climate Assessment." sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/c…
The US NCA is, after the IPCC reports, one of the most comprehensive + thoroughly reviewed climate ass'ts in the world. It documents how climate change is affecting every region and sector of the U.S. and is required by law to be released every 4 yrs. NCA4 was released in 2018.
Read 6 tweets
17 Sep
I had a great time speaking with @LamontEarth this afternoon! @moraymo and I didn't have a chance to get trhough all the great questions, so I'll answer a few more of them briefly here, with additional resources for more info. (thread)
Q: How do we talk with people who are very different than us?
A: We may not be able to find a value or love we share w everyone, and that's okay. But do get to know them better and maybe something will come up. I've bonded over knitting, cooking, sailing, living in Texas + more.
In my TED talk I tell a story about how I serendipitously bonded over Rotarian values. (who knew!) ted.com/talks/katharin…
Read 8 tweets

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