Thread by @KHayhoe

The other day, I decided to conduct an experiment. I set a timer for 3 hours and counted how many times I was publicly shamed here on twitter during that time. The answer? 12. And since then I've counted dozens of examples of others being shamed, as well. (thread)

Just under half of mine came from people on the right-hand side of the political spectrum, using the tried-and-true denial technique, “impossible expectations” ... i.e. you’re only allowed to talk climate action if you essentially stop breathing & live off the grid. No surprise.

But the other half came from people who were clearly very concerned about & invested in climate change. Something I said or didn’t say had violated their 10 Commandments of Green Living, and they wanted to make sure I knew it.

Here's the problem, though. Did any of those tweets make me want to do what they were judging me for not doing? No. In fact, they made me want to do the exact opposite because it's clear such judgement is a zero-sum game: it's about pushing someone else down to lift yourself up.

What's truly preventing climate action? It's not them, or me, or you: it’s much bigger than that. It's the companies who hold the balance of power & wealth in this world. As @MaryHeglar says so powerfully, (source: vox.com/the-highlight/…)

And while we snipe at each other for violating our personal codes of righteousness, they keep right on going. In fact, we play right into their hands.
mashable.com/feature/carbon…

So in my book, SAVING US, I talk about guilt. I understand where it comes from because I feel it myself. It springs from fear, and the sincere desire to change. It often begins like this.

Guilt is a very powerful motivator, don't get me wrong. And as a response to those who have deliberately chosen to obscure the truth, stand against change, and continue to pollute the planet - it's 100% valid. science.org/news/2016/08/j…

If you haven't read or watched Merchants of Doubt yet, please do. It explains exactly who and what have deliberately muddied the waters, attacked climate scientists and activists, manipulated politics and more. merchantsofdoubt.org

But when we are talking to each other? People who may be trying to do the right thing, or not sure about the whole issue, but who aren't actively and deliberately trying to destroy the world? What if we tried something different: love. As the SAVING US chapter on guilt ends ...

When someone says something to us that communicates love rather than guilt, how do we react? We're more likely to listen; we may even consider a change. Because we know it’s NOT a zero-sum game. It’s about us all winning, together.

So next time you’re tempted to wave a judgey finger - and I understand the fear, anger & frustration that compels us to do that, I feel it too - maybe stop for second. Consider how you might display love instead. Give it a try. And please … let me know how it works!

As @leahstokes says, in @allwecansave: “No one can unilaterally choose to live in a low carbon economy. The goal is not self-purification but structural change.”