Talk about Solutions
The biggest question most people have about climate change is “What are the solutions?” We have solutions! Bring some good news to a few friends. Talk about the solutions to climate change and how these solutions don’t need to turn our lives upside down and can even save money.
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
This is bringing good news. Talking about climate change is something many people avoid. They are worried that maybe their neighbors are not as concerned as they are or that they might need to be an expert to talk about it. However, since most Americans are concerned about climate change the likelihood is that your neighbor has the same concerns that you do. Talking about solutions with neighbors, family, and friends is a positive conversation and is an easy way to inspire someone else to take action. People are usually happy to learn there is something they can do to help! The best part is you don’t need to be an expert and it’s easy to do.
1Learn about solutions
Studies show that people are concerned about climate change, but don’t know what the solutions are. And they want to know! Learning about solutions helps to make a big, often scary problem less scary. It actually makes people happy to know we have solutions and they can see those solutions won’t turn their lives upside down. Better yet, they often want to help and are happy to learn what they can do.
Know the basics. You don’t need to be an expert to talk about the solutions to climate change. Below is some basic information on solutions and the next step includes example talking points you can use. If someone you speak with would like more information on the science, you can share the link to our site or the National Academy of Sciences National Climate Assessment.
There are three main areas where we create climate emissions—fossil fuel use (electricity, heating, and transportation), food choices and waste disposal. For all of these areas, we have clean, emission-free alternatives that can also save money! It’s a win-win.
Here are the basic steps to reduce our climate impact:
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Make our electricity renewable—like solar and wind. These technologies don’t create climate emissions and they are cost effective.
Note: Solar and wind energy are now the same price or cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives (natural gas and coal) in most areas and will be cheaper in all areas soon. With new advancements in battery technology and other energy storage backup options, we can rely on these resources for regular, consistent electricity for our future.
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Switch to using electricity for our energy needs, including electric cars for transportation and electricity for heating our homes.
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Be energy efficient along the way to keep our energy use down as we transition to clean renewable energy.
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Consider eating less red meat which has a higher climate impact than other foods.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost as much as possible.
Reap the benefits. Here are a few of the great additional benefits to these solutions:
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Improve our health. Clean, renewable energy doesn’t create air pollution. If we transition to renewable electricity and electric vehicles, we will eliminate most air pollution. Imagine a world with no more smog!
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Create millions of U.S. jobs. The transition to clean renewable energy will create millions of local, U.S. jobs installing and manufacturing renewable energy technology and installing energy efficiency building upgrades.
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Lower energy costs. In the long run, renewable energy is less expensive and will lower energy bills in the future for families.
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Local control, local benefit. Renewable energy is easier for families and communities to install and own. This creates an opportunity for families and communities to have more control over their energy sources and share in the financial benefit of these new technologies.
2Sample talking points
Talking about solutions is not hard to do. In fact, you can mention it in passing in most conversations, just like any other topic. It’s easy. You could say something like, “Did you know we have the solutions to climate change and they are actually not that hard to do? I just learned about it. I was really surprised at how easy the solutions are and also found out there are things we can all do to help.”
Here are a few talking points for the most common questions people have:
What about the cost? The prices for renewable energy have dropped drastically in the last 5 years and are now equal to gas, oil or coal in most places, or even cheaper. This means that making this transition will be cost effective and does not need to hurt our economy.
Not ready to buy an electric car? No problem! In the next few years, electric car models and infrastructure like charging stations will increase significantly. Battery ranges for some models are now over 200 miles for an overnight charge making them a feasible option for most people. Plus, electric cars are far cheaper to operate and maintain. In fact, they can save the average driver anywhere from $800 - $1,000 or more per year. These savings are on fuel and maintenance. Electric cars have no engine, so no oil changes or major services. And the best part is they are fun to drive! They are fast, responsive, quiet, and cheap to operate. In fact, because of climate change, many countries have made commitments to phasing out the sales of gas-powered cars including France, England, Germany, India, Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Israel, Ireland, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, and Spain.
I don't want to turn my thermostat down and be cold. Being energy efficient does not mean setting your thermostat to 50 degrees! It means being energy smart and having a programmable thermostat so you can make sure your heater is turned down during the day when you're away and set at a reasonable, comfortable temperature when you’re home. It means when you buy new appliances to choose energy-efficient models. You can save money and be comfortable being energy efficient!
I can't do this all tomorrow! No problem. The goal is to make significant progress on this transition over the next 10 years. So we don’t have to do everything tomorrow. We can plan to make changes as we normally would, like switch to an electric vehicle the next time you are ready to buy a new car. Install a new high-efficiency electric water heater the next time your water heater is up for replacement. This really doesn’t need to turn our lives upside down, it is about making good choices to protect our future when we have the chance.
3Call a few friends and talk about climate solutions!
Most people are happy when they hear about the solutions to climate change and realize how doable they are. You can brighten someone’s day by letting them know we have a path forward and that it will make our lives better. We all share the same basic concerns about protecting our families, our health, and our future, especially our children's future. Sharing information on solutions helps to bring these solutions to light and raise awareness about the choices that we can all make to help protect our future.
So call a few friends, or chat with a neighbor and talk about climate solutions! Share about the actions you are taking and how easy it is to make a difference.