Break the climate silence!

Pakistan scales up solar, the world loses a climate champion, and conversations spark action

Solar panel installation at Duikar Hill Viewpoint in Hunza Valley, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan

Last year, Pakistan installed an incredible 22 gigawatts of solar power—more than Canada has ever built, and more than the UK has added in the past five years combined. This remarkable surge is rapidly propelling Pakistan toward a leading position in the global solar energy race.

An estimated 40 million people in Pakistan still lack access to electricity, and the country has long struggled with rolling blackouts and the high costs associated with importing fossil fuels. It also faces numerous climate-related threats, including devastating floods and more frequent and intense heat waves.

Pakistan’s initial commitment under the Paris Agreement was to slash emissions by 20 percent by 2030. But in 2021, it upped that commitment to a 50 percent reduction. Thanks to the falling costs of solar, it’s a win-win: switching to clean energy offers a way to address poverty while curbing emissions.

“The real beauty of this story is how unglamorous it is. Pakistan isn’t trying to become a Silicon Valley of solar,” Michael Barnard writes here. “It’s solving energy poverty with sunlight and silicon. It’s trading diesel for distributed storage. And it’s doing it at a pace that should embarrass countries with ten times the GDP.”

Last week marks the passing of Pope Francis, a tireless and unwavering advocate for the poor and for our planet.

Less than three months into his Papacy, on World Environment Day, he spoke to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square about the importance of caring for God’s creation. “Cultivating and caring for creation is an instruction of God which He gave not only at the beginning of history but has also given to each one of us,” he said. “It is part of His plan; it means transforming the world so that it may be a garden, an inhabitable place for us all.”

Pope Francis also continually emphasized how climate change disproportionately impacts the world’s poorest people and countries, and often critiqued the economic structures and leaders that stand in the way of meaningful action.

His 2023 exhortation, Laudato Deum, concluded by urging us to, “move beyond the mentality of appearing to be concerned but not having the courage needed to produce substantial changes. Once and for all, let us put an end to the irresponsible derision that would present [climate change] as something purely ecological, ‘green’, romantic, frequently subject to ridicule by economic interests. Let us finally admit that it is a human and social problem.”

Pope Francis leaves behind a legacy of compassion, courage, and a continuing call to protect our common home and all who share it with us. My hope is that this message will continue to resonate with people everywhere.

Two new studies came out this last week, and they highlight two extremely important things: how essential it is that we talk about climate change—and how few of us actually are.

The first study surveyed 130,000 people in 125 countries around the world. Researchers found that 89% of people want more political action to fight climate change. That’s nearly nine out of ten people! But here’s the surprising part: most of them think they’re in the minority. They underestimate how much others around them care, so they stay silent. As this article explains, they’re caught in a “spiral of silence”—a self-fulfilling belief that no one else cares, so they don’t speak up.

The second study zoomed in on why this is. Surveying 3,000 people in the US, researchers discovered that only about 35% talk about climate even occasionally. Lead author Margaret Orr Hoeflich, PhD describes it this way: “If no one talks about climate change, people become less likely to talk about it because it is perceived as a taboo topic. The less people talk about climate change, the less it is thought of as a problem, which in turn leads to less action because people don’t care or don’t know what to do about the problem.”

So how do we break that cycle? This is the part I love—because the answers line up perfectly with what I share in this newsletter every week! (And no, that’s no accident. This newsletter is designed to share what we most need to know: why climate change matters and what we can do about it.)

This second study found that people are more likely to talk about climate change when:

• they understand the risks (that’s the “not-so-good” section),

• they see that solutions are already happening (that’s what the “good news” is all about),

• they believe their actions matter and that others care too (that’s the “what you can do” section),

• and they see it being talked about in the media (which is why I always include links to stories you can explore and share).

As Anthony Leiserowitz from Yale puts it, “One of the most powerful forms of climate communication is just telling people that a majority of other people think climate change is happening, human-caused, a serious problem and a priority for action.”

So here’s your weekly challenge—one I hope you’ll take up not just today, but every week: have a climate conversation. Find something you have in common with the person you’re talking to. Maybe you both love the same sport, live in the same town, or care about your kids' future. Then, talk about how climate change is affecting something you both value—and share a hopeful solution that inspires you.

Talking about climate change doesn’t have to be difficult or depressing. Here’s my 2-minute video that explains how—or, if you’d prefer to read it, a short article.

When we talk about climate, we break the silence. And when we break the silence, we start to change the world.

Tonight, April 30 at 8pm ET - Don’t Say Climate? Bridging Divides with Katharine Hayhoe a fundraiser for the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America - virtual, $35