I recently read that a group of Indigenous Adivasis women from rural India are creating dream maps, visions showing ideal states of their ancestral lands and villages. They plan to submit the dream maps to the government to request preservation and restoration funds.
I found this very inspiring. We can all do something. But it's always more comfortable to do nothing.
If such humble women can take action, I think people in better position can too. But it’s also a question of mentality. They grew up knowing they have to take care of their surroundings.
Lately, when I can’t cope I find some piece of earth around me and I plant something, or weed, or watch or trim or just sit with soil and what’s going on there. I find it infinitely/infinitesimally hopeful. I like to focus on what I know is already working despite our efforts to derail it.
I keep apologizing to my son for what my generation has handed to his generation. Every contribution, however small, matters. Don't go down without a fight!
Well yanks are not bothered to stop deadly diseases by vaccination etc by a madman as president by a country being devastated by a supposed enemy. As their children grow up the kids will realise they are literally doomed. Then perhaps...but way too late.
I depend on your blog for a balanced and reliable take on the climate emergency. I heartily agree that we need to hear about solutions and that a lot of positive developments are drowned out by destructive policies and sensational reporting. Climate doomerism is also a manipulative tactic of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers, including tech oligarchs who are desperate to build out data centers for AI and crypto. Thank you for being a steadfast voice for protecting our planet.
Katharine--Thanks for another positive newsletter. I too write about the Environment from a "we can do it" perspective. I'd love to do a guest column for you. Check out my newsletter at susanbinches.substack.com and let me know what you think.
Thank you for your kind words and for what you do!
I am sorry that I currently draw my guest editors from people I know personally; but I appreciate the recommendation and will keep it in mind for the future if my policy changes.
I don't believe it's ever too late to do anything about a changing climate. If we all put down our phones for an entire day, got offline and went outside for a positive change, we would once again see that nature has been there for us all along. It's us who have forgotten what meadows brimming with wildflowers look like, smell like and feel like. How good the cold water awakens our senses as it rushes over our skin, how the green (unsprayed) grass tickles our bare toes.
Nature doesn't even charge us to visit, but it does ask for respect. Once we begin to remember that, hope will be restored, but it still takes reminiscing about how summer nights used to be lit up with endless fireflies and the how the clear sky showed the constellations of the brightest, twinkling stars. Don't forget to look back and share it with the future.
Thank you so much for this reality check. It’s a short walk from denial to doomerism, and both stem from the same willful ignorance. ‘This climate crisis thing means I have to change or give up my comfort or go live in the woods’ (not true, but the woods are pretty wonderful). It’s rare these doomers bother to look at all the upsides — community connections; more reliable local energy sources; potential independence from high utility bills; etc. I won’t even get into how pathological it is to declare it’s all over / too late, when millions globally are living the effects of this man-made crisis, and suffering loss and displacement already.
Thank you, Julie, for sharing Katharine Hayhoe's piece and for being a valuable conversation partner of mine over many years on climate and more. Katharine, thank you for emphasizing the significance of talking about climate justice in a meaningfully embodied way -- integrating head, heart, and hands. I believe when we speak and listen with our whole selves attention, attunement, and
coherence empower life-giving change -- conversations become movements!
Without hope, all is lost. So, hope is an essential part of getting anything done, especially when what needs to be done feels almost impossible to achieve. And in those circumstances, hope becomes an act of extraordinary courage. But we humans are nothing if not resourceful, stubborn and resilient. We just have to decide that planet Earth is worth the effort. If we come at it from a place of Love (we protect what we love) and Respect (we honour what we respect), then climate and ecological action becomes acts of willful joy. And for the Doomers, If you say it can’t be done, then get out of the way of those who are doing it!
And these small acts can compound. I stopped for breakfast on my way home this morning and decided to park and order in person instead of going through the drive thru. Once inside, I saw that they had beautiful tables that were made out of recycled chopsticks of all things! I was absolutely delighted! I felt good about my first act and it lead to an unexpected, joyful discovery
That’s the thing, I always get those “giving up” comments from people who are just enjoying comfortable lives and feeling annoyed by the climate news. These comments come from a distance, from those who don’t feel they will be the ones to sacrifice anything. More than that, I feel that those comments are quite offensive, because indirectly (or not much so) these people are devaluing my work and my life mission. Like it never meant anything after all. Maybe projecting their own insecurities? In any case, we need to learn to better communicate across these divides. Climate communication certainly is at a crossroads!
But I have to add, this is different from a deep adaptation perspective of supporting each other through what is already happening. We also have to do that.
“If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.” — Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
In the face of climate collapse, this 1400-year-old teaching feels more urgent than ever.
Recently, climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe was labeled a “hopium peddler”—a dealer of false hope. Why? Because she refuses to give up. She believes every action matters. Every choice counts. And she’s right.
In Islamic tradition, planting a tree is not just a good deed—it’s an act of resistance, faith, and responsibility. Even on the brink of the end.
Today, hope is not wishful thinking. It’s moral clarity.
Hope is not denial. It’s a disciplined action.
Hope is not naïveté. It’s the wisdom to know: doing the right thing is never wasted.
Whether you're an educator, policymaker, engineer, entrepreneur, or parent, your sapling matters.
These are inspiring words in the fight against climate change, but when you say the majority of people polled want their country to do more against climate change, what they really mean is do more with any cost or inconvenience to them. For example, I live in Canada where the previous Prime Minister introduced a carbon tax and reduced oil pipeline lines and preserved national parks for diversity. Unfortunately the opposition leader nearly got elected on “axe the tax” slogan against a carbon tax. Citizen may well agree with you about climate change, but they’re not willing to pay a price for it.
I'm Canadian too (as you can probably tell by the url of this newsletter)!
Over the past six years, we saw a major failure on the part of the Trudeau government to communicate why climate change matters to people’s everyday lives—issues like housing, health, and affordability. There was also no communication on how policies like the carbon tax were actually helping by both reducing emissions and giving people the resources to make better choices.
This isn’t just a Canadian problem, though. In the U.S., the same thing happened with the Biden administration and the Inflation Reduction Act. Even though it benefited conservative states more than liberal ones, few people realized that.
As George Lakoff explains in his classic book Don’t Think of an Elephant, people on the liberal end of the political spectrum often tend to believe the truth speaks for itself—and that communication is either unnecessary or even manipulative. But conservatives don’t make that mistake. And that difference is a big reason we are where we are today.
If you’d like to dig deeper into this, my recent lecture at American University goes into the data, the communication gap, and the solutions I see—part of which is exactly what this newsletter is all about: https://www.youtube.com/live/MzcokLe-uvw?si=iHZFUB69OuuwEttw&t=370
It’s such a sad world where people can be persuaded by slogans and not critical thinking! Poilievre gave no alternative to the carbon rebate just like Trump gave no alternative to Obamacare. It’s easy to tear something down with slogans, not much thought required as Edward Bernays made clear in his book: “Propaganda explained”
There won't be a pivot where one minute we're still working the problem and the next we're all dead. Obvious, sorry. If you're facing doom, you just have to keep working on it. And in this case, global communication is crucial. Keep at it, find out what's working, and adjust. K. Hayhoe, hmm. I remember that name from 10+ ya. Unsure why. Will figure it out.
Grandchildren need to ask their grandparents to help NOW. Children need to get mad and let their parents know why. It's their lives which will be made so much harder without more commitments to change what we do today. Talk went from Global Warming to Climate Change and now some know it's Climate Crisis.
I recently read that a group of Indigenous Adivasis women from rural India are creating dream maps, visions showing ideal states of their ancestral lands and villages. They plan to submit the dream maps to the government to request preservation and restoration funds.
I found this very inspiring. We can all do something. But it's always more comfortable to do nothing.
What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing!
This is such a beautiful action to take! After all, we are creators of our own future - or at least we should be allowed to.
If such humble women can take action, I think people in better position can too. But it’s also a question of mentality. They grew up knowing they have to take care of their surroundings.
Lately, when I can’t cope I find some piece of earth around me and I plant something, or weed, or watch or trim or just sit with soil and what’s going on there. I find it infinitely/infinitesimally hopeful. I like to focus on what I know is already working despite our efforts to derail it.
I love this and will share this with friends who are not so involved on the topic of climate change and ask me what they could do - thank you!
Looking at that survey, Americans seem to be the least concerned about climate change. Super disappointing as an American.
I keep apologizing to my son for what my generation has handed to his generation. Every contribution, however small, matters. Don't go down without a fight!
Well yanks are not bothered to stop deadly diseases by vaccination etc by a madman as president by a country being devastated by a supposed enemy. As their children grow up the kids will realise they are literally doomed. Then perhaps...but way too late.
That feels like a caricature of a very diverse country, M r!
I depend on your blog for a balanced and reliable take on the climate emergency. I heartily agree that we need to hear about solutions and that a lot of positive developments are drowned out by destructive policies and sensational reporting. Climate doomerism is also a manipulative tactic of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers, including tech oligarchs who are desperate to build out data centers for AI and crypto. Thank you for being a steadfast voice for protecting our planet.
This is a very well thought out way to put things in perspective. Don’t see much of that happening. Thank you for sharing this information.
Katharine--Thanks for another positive newsletter. I too write about the Environment from a "we can do it" perspective. I'd love to do a guest column for you. Check out my newsletter at susanbinches.substack.com and let me know what you think.
Thank you for your kind words and for what you do!
I am sorry that I currently draw my guest editors from people I know personally; but I appreciate the recommendation and will keep it in mind for the future if my policy changes.
Thanks for your response and I’d love to get to know you! If you want to know more about me, check out my website at www.sueinches.com.
I don't believe it's ever too late to do anything about a changing climate. If we all put down our phones for an entire day, got offline and went outside for a positive change, we would once again see that nature has been there for us all along. It's us who have forgotten what meadows brimming with wildflowers look like, smell like and feel like. How good the cold water awakens our senses as it rushes over our skin, how the green (unsprayed) grass tickles our bare toes.
Nature doesn't even charge us to visit, but it does ask for respect. Once we begin to remember that, hope will be restored, but it still takes reminiscing about how summer nights used to be lit up with endless fireflies and the how the clear sky showed the constellations of the brightest, twinkling stars. Don't forget to look back and share it with the future.
Thank you so much for this reality check. It’s a short walk from denial to doomerism, and both stem from the same willful ignorance. ‘This climate crisis thing means I have to change or give up my comfort or go live in the woods’ (not true, but the woods are pretty wonderful). It’s rare these doomers bother to look at all the upsides — community connections; more reliable local energy sources; potential independence from high utility bills; etc. I won’t even get into how pathological it is to declare it’s all over / too late, when millions globally are living the effects of this man-made crisis, and suffering loss and displacement already.
Thank you, Julie, for sharing Katharine Hayhoe's piece and for being a valuable conversation partner of mine over many years on climate and more. Katharine, thank you for emphasizing the significance of talking about climate justice in a meaningfully embodied way -- integrating head, heart, and hands. I believe when we speak and listen with our whole selves attention, attunement, and
coherence empower life-giving change -- conversations become movements!
Without hope, all is lost. So, hope is an essential part of getting anything done, especially when what needs to be done feels almost impossible to achieve. And in those circumstances, hope becomes an act of extraordinary courage. But we humans are nothing if not resourceful, stubborn and resilient. We just have to decide that planet Earth is worth the effort. If we come at it from a place of Love (we protect what we love) and Respect (we honour what we respect), then climate and ecological action becomes acts of willful joy. And for the Doomers, If you say it can’t be done, then get out of the way of those who are doing it!
And these small acts can compound. I stopped for breakfast on my way home this morning and decided to park and order in person instead of going through the drive thru. Once inside, I saw that they had beautiful tables that were made out of recycled chopsticks of all things! I was absolutely delighted! I felt good about my first act and it lead to an unexpected, joyful discovery
That’s the thing, I always get those “giving up” comments from people who are just enjoying comfortable lives and feeling annoyed by the climate news. These comments come from a distance, from those who don’t feel they will be the ones to sacrifice anything. More than that, I feel that those comments are quite offensive, because indirectly (or not much so) these people are devaluing my work and my life mission. Like it never meant anything after all. Maybe projecting their own insecurities? In any case, we need to learn to better communicate across these divides. Climate communication certainly is at a crossroads!
But I have to add, this is different from a deep adaptation perspective of supporting each other through what is already happening. We also have to do that.
“If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.” — Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
In the face of climate collapse, this 1400-year-old teaching feels more urgent than ever.
Recently, climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe was labeled a “hopium peddler”—a dealer of false hope. Why? Because she refuses to give up. She believes every action matters. Every choice counts. And she’s right.
In Islamic tradition, planting a tree is not just a good deed—it’s an act of resistance, faith, and responsibility. Even on the brink of the end.
Today, hope is not wishful thinking. It’s moral clarity.
Hope is not denial. It’s a disciplined action.
Hope is not naïveté. It’s the wisdom to know: doing the right thing is never wasted.
Whether you're an educator, policymaker, engineer, entrepreneur, or parent, your sapling matters.
These are inspiring words in the fight against climate change, but when you say the majority of people polled want their country to do more against climate change, what they really mean is do more with any cost or inconvenience to them. For example, I live in Canada where the previous Prime Minister introduced a carbon tax and reduced oil pipeline lines and preserved national parks for diversity. Unfortunately the opposition leader nearly got elected on “axe the tax” slogan against a carbon tax. Citizen may well agree with you about climate change, but they’re not willing to pay a price for it.
I'm Canadian too (as you can probably tell by the url of this newsletter)!
Over the past six years, we saw a major failure on the part of the Trudeau government to communicate why climate change matters to people’s everyday lives—issues like housing, health, and affordability. There was also no communication on how policies like the carbon tax were actually helping by both reducing emissions and giving people the resources to make better choices.
This isn’t just a Canadian problem, though. In the U.S., the same thing happened with the Biden administration and the Inflation Reduction Act. Even though it benefited conservative states more than liberal ones, few people realized that.
As George Lakoff explains in his classic book Don’t Think of an Elephant, people on the liberal end of the political spectrum often tend to believe the truth speaks for itself—and that communication is either unnecessary or even manipulative. But conservatives don’t make that mistake. And that difference is a big reason we are where we are today.
If you’d like to dig deeper into this, my recent lecture at American University goes into the data, the communication gap, and the solutions I see—part of which is exactly what this newsletter is all about: https://www.youtube.com/live/MzcokLe-uvw?si=iHZFUB69OuuwEttw&t=370
It’s such a sad world where people can be persuaded by slogans and not critical thinking! Poilievre gave no alternative to the carbon rebate just like Trump gave no alternative to Obamacare. It’s easy to tear something down with slogans, not much thought required as Edward Bernays made clear in his book: “Propaganda explained”
There won't be a pivot where one minute we're still working the problem and the next we're all dead. Obvious, sorry. If you're facing doom, you just have to keep working on it. And in this case, global communication is crucial. Keep at it, find out what's working, and adjust. K. Hayhoe, hmm. I remember that name from 10+ ya. Unsure why. Will figure it out.
Grandchildren need to ask their grandparents to help NOW. Children need to get mad and let their parents know why. It's their lives which will be made so much harder without more commitments to change what we do today. Talk went from Global Warming to Climate Change and now some know it's Climate Crisis.
Always a pleasure to see you encouraging people Katharine. I have my doubts as to humanity surviving this, but as a forlorn hope, I will try anyway.
Hope you and your readers have a good day.