This Moment in Climate Feels Awful. That’s Not Our Final Thought.

Let’s not mince words: It’s a painful time for climate people. We know folks are hurting because so many of you just turned out for our impromptu “Communities of Care” workshop.

The feelings of grief and anger are valid—and while we usually try not to dwell on them, they warrant space below. Those who know us, though, might also guess that despair is not our final thought on the matter. We’ll get into that, too.

Things don’t look great

Starting with the obvious, well, the country that bears the most historic responsibility for climate change has chosen a leader likely to do worse than nothing about it. While we don’t love hard and fast takes on what that result says about the majority of American voters—perhaps a lack of understanding about the extent of the climate crisis we’re facing, partly—many climate experts report it feels awful.

Some turned to gallows humor, like veteran climatologist Michael Mann, who remarked “On the bright side, we now have an answer to the Fermi Paradox,” suggesting this shows why aliens haven’t bothered to get in touch with us—or, more darkly, that civilizations like ours are but momentary things in the cosmos. (“That’s a gut punch of a joke coming from you,” author and recent Terra.do keynote speaker Genevieve Guenther replied.)

Others appeared resolute, like Rebecca Solnit, the venerable writer who helped put together the climate anthology Not Too Late. “You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything, and everything we can save is worth saving,” Solnit posted, continuing “There is no alternative to persevering, and that does not require you to feel good. You can keep walking whether it’s sunny or raining.”

Zooming out

We have a “yes and” to Solnit’s point, but first, it feels important to reflect that bad climate news is hardly a uniquely U.S. phenomenon. 2024 remains on track to become the hottest year on record globally. International delegates are convening in Azerbaijan to negotiate more climate finance for the nations most affected by and least responsible for global heating—yet the head of the host nation’s team appears keen to sidebar about more planet-warming fossil fuel deals. Optimism is in short supply.

Okay. Breathe. We hope you’re taking care of yourself, not looking at your phone too much, drinking water, and supporting people who need it. Sincerely. This is important: You cannot pour from an empty cup. “Gather up your resources, the metaphysical ones that are heart and soul and care, as well as the practical ones,” as the aforementioned Solnit put it. Let’s turn now to her point about not giving up.

On not fleeing into the woods

In recent days, people have been looking to us for guidance on how to tackle the climate crisis even if the U.S. government is unlikely to do much for it for the next several years. This plainly shifts more of the onus of action to individuals like you and organizations like ours. We’re not fleeing into the woods. We think this moment further underscores the importance of understanding climate change, what we can do about it, and—yes—how we can talk meaningfully with others about it.

That’s exactly what our Learning for Action program is about. The deadline to apply for the next cohort is Friday, November 22, and we’ll have a lot more to say about stepping up climate action between now and then. Meantime, take heart—you are not alone.

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