I loved this and amplified your signal by restacking and posting to fb. I collect and amplify good ecological and socially constructive ideas. Happy to be connected.
This is a fantastic initiative. Enjoyed reading the argument behind TCC and how the initiative has identified an action that has in many ways been bypassed as an actually action. I will explore the tools...
I love this! I’m just starting out in climate communication and I’ve been struggling with where to start or how to get information out that people actually want to interact with! This is great!
People talk about the weather a lot, especially if it's weird. So I use that as a starting point for bringing up climate change. Here's a discussion I just had this morning:
Them: "I heard it's going up to 20 [degrees Celsius] today."
Me: "20??? That's some real global warming weather."
Them: "Oh, I know." [Changes subject. I find people do this all the time. I let them, but brought it back a moment later]
Me: "Did you know 89% of people globally want their governments to do more about climate change? But they think other people don't care."
Them: "Really? I'm not surprised people are concerned. But... what can we do?"
Me: "Well, for starters, our government could not build an oil pipeline with our tax money."
I would also tell them they should switch to an EV. Reducing the demand for oil is the most effective way to prevent pipelines from being built in the first place.
I would also tell them that if they have control over their home heating system, to switch to an air or ground source heat pump. Cold Climate options work great - no excuses for hybrids, which keep us hooked to the pipelines.
Talking without action is pointless. Most people concerned about the climate drive gas-burning cars. While they are 'talking about climate', they could also research which EV, new or used, will suit their daily needs, figure out where they'll charge it, then save up and get it done. You can keep talking about climate, but do this first.
Look at the data. People are not talking - and action does not happen without conversations. Humans literally do not take action without a conversation.
I understand, so what would you suggest we say to convince people on the left to stop buying gas cars? The problem, as I see it, is that Americans buy 40,000 new gas cars every day. All of those people could easily afford to buy an EV, but they don't. What words would you use to convince those on the left to never buy a gas car again?
It's a serious question. I've been having conversations with individuals and groups for 24 years informing them of the reasons they should switch to an EV. They have the money, EVs are easily found for $10,000 here in LA, but for whatever reason they keep choosing to buy and burn gas, literally the most harmful thing they do in their entire lives. When given the choice, with full knowledge of the harm they are causing, they choose to keep causing harm. So, please tell me what words you would use to get your readers to stop buying gas cars. If it's effective, I'll start using it myself.
I would recommend learning more about why it's so much more effective use your voice to change the system rather than personal behaviour -- so the cheapest & easiest option for everyone becomes the best option rather than the worst one. That's what my work is all about.
Again, I AM talking about it, constantly. What I was hoping to get from you was how to convince people on the left to stop buying gas cars, and if they own one, to switch to an EV.
Of all the things we can do as a society, nothing comes close to killing the ICE industry completely. We are within 9 years of this happening, but none of the major climate writers, yourself included, are talking about this specific issue. It's frustrating to see you constantly say that the most important thing is to talk about climate, but you never give them this one specific action to take, and of all the actions you could take, this is by far the most consequential.
Look man, I understand you completely. Yes, I've seen that my whole life too. It seems that people around us keep just doing what they ever did. Locally, it might be true. Is is true here in my life.
But do not be under the impression that consumption patterns aren't changing. They are. Maybe not in your city, your neighborhood, or your social circle, but they are. Data shows that people are buying more EVs, are installing more solar panels, etc. It may seem still slow, but the rate of change is changing quickly.
Secret here maybe wasn't that much about talking, but by having the tech finally catch up to the correct price. Today it is cheaper in many markets to buy EV or install solar, so people are doing that.
But Katherine's point still stand, we've reached this economical point by talking, then doing. We need to keep talking. We need to keep "pushing the Overton window". We also need to win more elections, and push the denial to oblivion (and on that matter we need also to talk a bit carefully about this topic, in order to not heighten bad views unintentionally). But yeah, we need to talk more.
Americans buy 40,000 new gas cars every day. This is a problem we need to fix. The fix is to not buy new gas cars. Anyone who can afford even the cheapest gas car can easily afford an EV that costs the same but is a much better car.
The electorate being 50/50, half of those 40,000 gas cars were bought by Dems. This is called low hanging fruit. What I'd like to see is Katherine Hayhoe, Bill McKibben, Emily Adkin, and Sammy Roth all tell their readers to never buy a gas car again. They need to beat that drum constantly and make sure we impact the sale of gas cars in the US.
China and Europe are both racing to get to 100% EV sales, but the US is lagging far behind with fewer than 10% of new car sales being electric. It is incumbent on the leading environmental writers to talk about this specific issue with the express purpose of dissuading Dems from buying gas cars.
Keep this very important point in mind: When the internal combustion industry dies, it dies forever and for everybody. This means we are going to force everyone to drive EVs powered by renewable electricity by removing their ability to buy a car than burns gas.
According to the EIA, 70% of the world's oil is used for gasoline and diesel. We can eliminate 70% of all demand for oil inside of 20 years. This is a huge win for our side and nobody is talking about it. Katherine is always saying we should "talk about climate". What I'm saying is that she and all the other enviro writers need to be talking about this specifically.
If I get an EV my carbon footprint is reduced, if my talk about EVs is heard by 100 people and only 3 then get an EV, it is still a vast improvement on my keeping silent and having no influence. And a bonus is that in talking about it in advance gives me the confidence to go ahead and make the change in the first place. (And yes I got my first EV in spring 2015, and replaced it with a smaller EV last winter, passing the old one on to a friend who has heard me advocating for it for years.) Talk really does help us to act.
I appreciate what you say, but affordable electric cars have been available for over 15 years, yet Americans buy over 40,000 brand new gas cars every day. All of those people could easily afford an EV. Half of them are Dems, and they are fully aware of the harm they cause, yet they don't act. Just talk. It's those people I'm talking to here. They should all be ashamed of themselves for continuing to buy and burn gasoline in the year 2026. They need to act!
Buying an EV is an option for sure. But pushing our municipal governments to improve transit, especially by adding electric transit, we are promoting an even better climate solution for all. Reliable and safe bike paths are still greener. As Paul Hawkins taught us through Drawdown - all solutions should be on the table, and when you can, lean into the ones that help the emissions to decline fastest. Another culprit, if we go back to the EVs, would be the car industry themselves: they push combustion engines because they are resistant to change and want, in kahoots with the oil industry, to prolong the reign of gas & diesel engines for as long as they can, because switching will cost them. But the larger cost to all of us is.... well, we know that answer. So yes, individual car purchases should always start with "Do you have any EVs on the lot to try?" and then people should walk away if the answer is no.
This is so exciting. Congrats and thank you!
I loved this and amplified your signal by restacking and posting to fb. I collect and amplify good ecological and socially constructive ideas. Happy to be connected.
This is a fantastic initiative. Enjoyed reading the argument behind TCC and how the initiative has identified an action that has in many ways been bypassed as an actually action. I will explore the tools...
I love this! I’m just starting out in climate communication and I’ve been struggling with where to start or how to get information out that people actually want to interact with! This is great!
People talk about the weather a lot, especially if it's weird. So I use that as a starting point for bringing up climate change. Here's a discussion I just had this morning:
Them: "I heard it's going up to 20 [degrees Celsius] today."
Me: "20??? That's some real global warming weather."
Them: "Oh, I know." [Changes subject. I find people do this all the time. I let them, but brought it back a moment later]
Me: "Did you know 89% of people globally want their governments to do more about climate change? But they think other people don't care."
Them: "Really? I'm not surprised people are concerned. But... what can we do?"
Me: "Well, for starters, our government could not build an oil pipeline with our tax money."
Them: "Yes, that's true."
How was that, Katharine?
I would also tell them they should switch to an EV. Reducing the demand for oil is the most effective way to prevent pipelines from being built in the first place.
I would also tell them that if they have control over their home heating system, to switch to an air or ground source heat pump. Cold Climate options work great - no excuses for hybrids, which keep us hooked to the pipelines.
Heat pumps are so much cheaper too. Tell them that. Why pay more than you have to?
Talking without action is pointless. Most people concerned about the climate drive gas-burning cars. While they are 'talking about climate', they could also research which EV, new or used, will suit their daily needs, figure out where they'll charge it, then save up and get it done. You can keep talking about climate, but do this first.
Look at the data. People are not talking - and action does not happen without conversations. Humans literally do not take action without a conversation.
I understand, so what would you suggest we say to convince people on the left to stop buying gas cars? The problem, as I see it, is that Americans buy 40,000 new gas cars every day. All of those people could easily afford to buy an EV, but they don't. What words would you use to convince those on the left to never buy a gas car again?
It's a serious question. I've been having conversations with individuals and groups for 24 years informing them of the reasons they should switch to an EV. They have the money, EVs are easily found for $10,000 here in LA, but for whatever reason they keep choosing to buy and burn gas, literally the most harmful thing they do in their entire lives. When given the choice, with full knowledge of the harm they are causing, they choose to keep causing harm. So, please tell me what words you would use to get your readers to stop buying gas cars. If it's effective, I'll start using it myself.
I would recommend learning more about why it's so much more effective use your voice to change the system rather than personal behaviour -- so the cheapest & easiest option for everyone becomes the best option rather than the worst one. That's what my work is all about.
Start here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7194702014499463168/
Then check out: https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine_hayhoe_the_most_important_thing_you_can_do_to_fight_climate_change_talk_about_it
And for more, I recommend getting this from your local library: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Saving-Us/Katharine-Hayhoe/9781797120539
Again, I AM talking about it, constantly. What I was hoping to get from you was how to convince people on the left to stop buying gas cars, and if they own one, to switch to an EV.
Of all the things we can do as a society, nothing comes close to killing the ICE industry completely. We are within 9 years of this happening, but none of the major climate writers, yourself included, are talking about this specific issue. It's frustrating to see you constantly say that the most important thing is to talk about climate, but you never give them this one specific action to take, and of all the actions you could take, this is by far the most consequential.
Look man, I understand you completely. Yes, I've seen that my whole life too. It seems that people around us keep just doing what they ever did. Locally, it might be true. Is is true here in my life.
But do not be under the impression that consumption patterns aren't changing. They are. Maybe not in your city, your neighborhood, or your social circle, but they are. Data shows that people are buying more EVs, are installing more solar panels, etc. It may seem still slow, but the rate of change is changing quickly.
Secret here maybe wasn't that much about talking, but by having the tech finally catch up to the correct price. Today it is cheaper in many markets to buy EV or install solar, so people are doing that.
But Katherine's point still stand, we've reached this economical point by talking, then doing. We need to keep talking. We need to keep "pushing the Overton window". We also need to win more elections, and push the denial to oblivion (and on that matter we need also to talk a bit carefully about this topic, in order to not heighten bad views unintentionally). But yeah, we need to talk more.
Appreciate the response.
Americans buy 40,000 new gas cars every day. This is a problem we need to fix. The fix is to not buy new gas cars. Anyone who can afford even the cheapest gas car can easily afford an EV that costs the same but is a much better car.
The electorate being 50/50, half of those 40,000 gas cars were bought by Dems. This is called low hanging fruit. What I'd like to see is Katherine Hayhoe, Bill McKibben, Emily Adkin, and Sammy Roth all tell their readers to never buy a gas car again. They need to beat that drum constantly and make sure we impact the sale of gas cars in the US.
China and Europe are both racing to get to 100% EV sales, but the US is lagging far behind with fewer than 10% of new car sales being electric. It is incumbent on the leading environmental writers to talk about this specific issue with the express purpose of dissuading Dems from buying gas cars.
Keep this very important point in mind: When the internal combustion industry dies, it dies forever and for everybody. This means we are going to force everyone to drive EVs powered by renewable electricity by removing their ability to buy a car than burns gas.
According to the EIA, 70% of the world's oil is used for gasoline and diesel. We can eliminate 70% of all demand for oil inside of 20 years. This is a huge win for our side and nobody is talking about it. Katherine is always saying we should "talk about climate". What I'm saying is that she and all the other enviro writers need to be talking about this specifically.
If I get an EV my carbon footprint is reduced, if my talk about EVs is heard by 100 people and only 3 then get an EV, it is still a vast improvement on my keeping silent and having no influence. And a bonus is that in talking about it in advance gives me the confidence to go ahead and make the change in the first place. (And yes I got my first EV in spring 2015, and replaced it with a smaller EV last winter, passing the old one on to a friend who has heard me advocating for it for years.) Talk really does help us to act.
I appreciate what you say, but affordable electric cars have been available for over 15 years, yet Americans buy over 40,000 brand new gas cars every day. All of those people could easily afford an EV. Half of them are Dems, and they are fully aware of the harm they cause, yet they don't act. Just talk. It's those people I'm talking to here. They should all be ashamed of themselves for continuing to buy and burn gasoline in the year 2026. They need to act!
Buying an EV is an option for sure. But pushing our municipal governments to improve transit, especially by adding electric transit, we are promoting an even better climate solution for all. Reliable and safe bike paths are still greener. As Paul Hawkins taught us through Drawdown - all solutions should be on the table, and when you can, lean into the ones that help the emissions to decline fastest. Another culprit, if we go back to the EVs, would be the car industry themselves: they push combustion engines because they are resistant to change and want, in kahoots with the oil industry, to prolong the reign of gas & diesel engines for as long as they can, because switching will cost them. But the larger cost to all of us is.... well, we know that answer. So yes, individual car purchases should always start with "Do you have any EVs on the lot to try?" and then people should walk away if the answer is no.