Don’t Miss Out. This Is Your Moment to Fight for a Safer Climate.

To begin, we’re not climate action Pollyannas. 2024 is on track to end as the hottest year on record, and experts say the international goal of limiting global heating to 1.5 C over preindustrial levels is “deader than a doornail.” But all hope is not lost. 

Let’s we’ll explore why and what this means for you.

Multifaceted problems require multifaceted solutions

Climate change is an immediate problem, not one for the distant future. Extreme weather is making life harder for people and ecosystems right now. And this will keep getting worse until we take drastic action. But although we just said we’re not Pollyannas, we’re also not climate doomers. Let’s briefly unpack this issue from two angles.

In short, stopping the planet from getting even hotter requires a vast overhaul of our energy system. Everything has to change from the grid to transportation to farming, along with many millions of heating and cooling systems. Achieving this in a just way will take tremendous work, and although this shift is already underway, so far it’s not happening fast enough. 

That’s the bad news. There is also good news: First, there is still time to avert more severe climate impacts. Second, that this challenge is big and complex means there are opportunities for many people with many different backgrounds, skill sets, and interests to all play meaningful parts in resolving it.

Working to transform the world

So what does this mean for you the individual and how you can spend your time working toward a livable future? Dr. Genevieve Guenther, a recent Terra.do keynote speaker, considers this in her book, The Language of Climate Politics:

A movement meant to transform the world must embrace strategic and tactical diversity. So ask yourself: who am I? What are my talents and resources? What do I like doing? How can I leverage my position in the places I live and work, in whatever my social circle may be, to help phase out fossil fuels and resolve the climate crisis. The goal, here, is to transform yourself into someone who rises to this epochal moment, takes on the climate crisis intellectually and emotionally, and does what they can to help.

Guenther goes on to note this will take both courage and faith, quoting the activist Angela Davis, who said, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”

Now, some more good news: You are not alone. Though not everyone fully appreciates the gravity of this moment for the climate, we see many, many people who are eager to tackle this problem in their work and their communities, and who find new meaning in this fight.

Not going it alone

Climate work has the potential to feel lonely, but there’s no reason it has to be that way. In fact, there’s a case your efforts on the climate crisis are best served while learning alongside others globally while getting expert guidance.

This is a big part of the reason Terra.do exists. Since 2020, thousands of people from dozens of countries have taken our 12-week Learning for Action program. (Find out what a typical week of LFA is like here.)

After the course, many go on to change their careers to step up climate action. And grads who wrestle with climate anxiety tell us our program has helped them find ways to channel it meaningfully.

The deadline to join our next Learning for Action cohort is coming up soon, and you don’t want to miss out. This group graduates in March, 2025. Where do you want to be on your climate journey by then?

Table of Contents
SUBSCRIBE
The Climate Switch
Maximizing your climate impact and focusing on effective solutions requires knowledge. Get weekly trends, expert insights, inspiring stories, and actionable tips directly in your inbox.
Learn the skills to work on climate