Over one week at the end of August, I completed training to become a ‘Climate Reality Leader’. This is a training program created by Al Gore that teaches people all over the world to be effective climate communicators.
Across several evenings, we listened to Al Gore speak about the science of climate change, its impacts, and the solutions to mitigate climate change. I was then fortunate enough to join a ‘table’ (Zoom call) full of other Sydney-based trainees, where we discussed what we had learnt and jointly planned future actions.
Here, I want to reflect on some of the most compelling facts we learned, share tips about how to be an effective communicator, and outline some actions I plan to take in the near future.
Climate Facts
- Every day, we produce global warming pollution “…equivalent to exploding 500,000 first-generation atomic bombs” (James Hansen, former Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies). Every. Day. ‘Global warming pollution’ includes CO2, methane, nitrous oxides, and others.
- It’s getting REALLY hot all over the world. For a small sample;
- 41C - Fukuoka, Japan (August 17, 2020)
- 44C - Canberra, Australia (January 4, 2020)
- 50C - Amritsar, India (June 2, 2020)
- 51C - Baghdad, Iraq (July 28, 2020)
- Germany is painting railroad tracks white, so they won’t buckle from excessive heat
- Globally, the number of people displaced by extreme weather in 2019 (24 million people) = 3x the number displaced by conflict and violence
- Kiribati has had to purchase land in another country to house its climate refugees
- Higher CO2 concentration reduces the level of nutrients in foods like rice, wheat, soybeans
- Higher water temperatures also decrease the nutritional quality of ocean fish
- Worldwide, air pollution kills 9 million people every year
- This disproportionately kills poorer people, and people of colour
- Higher CO2 concentration could cause a 25% reduction in indoor decision-making ability by 2100 (if the current rate of emissions continues)
- Sea turtle sex is determined by temperature. In the north of the Great Barrier Reef, 99% of young green sea turtles are now female
- Oil and gas companies are decreasing oil and gas investment. “The world’s carbon budget is finite and running out fast; we need a rapid transition to net zero. We all want energy that is reliable and affordable, but that is no longer enough. It must also be cleaner” - Bernard Looney, BP CEO
- So far in 2020, Portugal has gone 59 days, and the UK 67 days with NO coal-fired electricity
- The “Sun Cable” Project will supply 1/5th of Singapore’s electricity needs from solar energy from Northern Australia
- European cities will start banning internal combustion engines - including London, Paris, Rome, Madrid
- In the US, the fastest-growing job through 2028 will be “solar installer”, followed by “wind turbine service technician”
Tips on climate communication
- You are ready now. There is no need to wait to be a ‘better presenter’. Start with a smaller, friendlier audience if you’d like, but the time to act is now.
- Listen as much as you speak. Respect your audience, and engage with their values, concerns, and goals.
- Begin with the end in mind - how do you want your audience to think/feel/do differently?
My Acts of Leadership
- Presentation - I am currently collaborating with 4 other Climate Reality Leaders from UNSW to give a combined presentation to the broader UNSW community. I’m very excited about this! We are all from different parts of the university, but completely united in our desire to see local action.
- Letter to the Editor - I want to submit several Letters. Citizens’ Climate Lobby has been an excellent resource for this, as there are some brilliant writers involved with CCL.
- This blog post - Reflecting on what I learnt and how I can apply it is a useful push to get on with it!
For more info about the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, check out https://climaterealityproject.org/