No. 1 Trust the Science

The facts are...facts. The damage is measurable. Let it galvanize you.

Climate change is happening. It’s supercharging hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, heat waves, and rain. It’s heating the oceans and melting the giant ice sheets that anchor our poles, increasing coastal flood risk. Wherever we live on this earth, global warming is affecting us—yes, us; climate change doesn’t matter just to future generations or to people in the South Pacific.

I’m a climate scientist, so I know just how unprecedented these realities are. Climate has never changed this fast in human history. I’m also a Christian, and that’s part of why I care about this issue—because even though it impacts us all, it’s the poor, hungry, and vulnerable the world over, the very ones we’re told to love and care for, who are disproportionately harmed by these shifts.

Yet often when we turn on the news, go online, or talk to a family member, we hear doubt: “The climate always fluctuates”or “But it’s so cold today!” or “Those scientists are fudging the data.” Never mind that according to orbital cycles that drive ice ages, we should be cooling, not warming; or that individual cold days don’t disprove decades of warming; or that we scientists really and truly have no good reason to lie.

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Why is it so difficult to accept that our climate has been altered and humans are responsible? Because if we don’t accept it, then we don’t have to disrupt our way of life to address it. If only polar bears, distant future generations, and people who live far away will be harmed, why bother going vegan or buying expensive electric cars—solutions we think will be unpleasant at best, painful at worst? It’s easier to say “The problem isn’t real” than to admit “The problem is real, but I don’t want to sacrifice anything to fix it.”

Facts, like gravity, are true regardless of our beliefs; a thermometer doesn’t give us a different answer depending on our opinion of it. The planet has warmed nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the Industrial Revolution began, and after carefully examining all the natural reasons why the climate has changed in the past, scientists have no doubt that this time humans are the culprits. By mining and burning massive amounts of coal, oil, and gas; by cutting down and burning forests; and by cultivating vast herds of animals to accommodate our meat consumption, we’ve been practically wrapping a blanket around our planet.

So what can we do? Finding solutions feels overwhelming, I know. But the good news is that there are solutions, and if we act soon enough, we can avoid many of the worst outcomes. Our attitudes and decisions matter. We can make personal choices (buying efficient appliances, eating less meat) and support large-scale progress (transitioning to clean, home-grown sources of energy that generate local jobs, don’t pollute our air, and will never run out). Often we look at the world’s problems with a sense of powerlessness. But now our future truly is in our hands. And that’s why the science matters—because nothing happens until we face it head on and then decide to get to work.—Katharine Hayhoe

No. 2 Know the Lingo

It's harder to tune out when you get what the words mean.

Climate: the average weather conditions, typically measured over years. Fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, or other variables that last for an extended period of time are called climate change.

Greenhouse Gases: any gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide; methane; and hydrofluorocarbons, which are used in refrigerants, aerosol propellants, and fire retardants. The more present they are, the hotter the planet can get.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): One carbon atom +two oxygen atoms =the mother of all greenhouse gases.(It’s arguably the most bedeviling to our atmosphere.) This molecule is produced by the exhalations of oxygen-breathing animals and, more catastrophically, by the burning of oil, coal, and natural gas. In2017, the United States released about 5.14 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Emissions: Greenhouse gases or other pollutants released into the atmosphere, often through burning fossil fuels.

Carbon-neutral: If an activity that releases CO2 (say, driving to work) is balanced by the reduction or offsetting of emissions elsewhere (say, a CO2-absorbing endeavor like planting trees), that activity is said to be carbon-neutral.

Fossil Fuels: Decayed plants and animals (think those from the T. Rex era) transformed by hundreds of millions of years of heat and pressure into natural gas, crude oil, or coal. At last count (in2017), the U.S. got at least 80 percent of its energy from the burning of fossil fuels.

Clean or renewable energy: While everyone agrees that solar and wind energy are renewable (the sun will keep shining, at least for several billion more years), how “clean” they are depends on other factors. Currently, wind and solar energy provide intermittent power that must be supplemented by other sources to maintain consistent supply; those backups are often coal or somewhat-cleaner-but-still-a-fossil-fuel natural gas. Until there are enough solar and wind power plants to go around, cleaner energy is really the best we can hope for.

Conservation: Protecting or restoring natural environments, resources, and wildlife.

Sustainability: The maintaining of conditions that guarantee human society and the natural world can continue to coexist (including through practices like the three Rs: reducing, reusing, and recycling).

Green: Shorthand for “related to environmentalism.”

No. 3 Think Outside the Box

Or take a page from those who do. To wit: these game-changing ideas coming to a city or coastline near you.

Rain, Rain, It's Okay!

Since 2013, the low-lying Netherlands city of Rotterdam has installed nine “water squares”—picture a slightly sunken concrete pool— in flood-prone areas, some of which sit 16 feet below sea level. When dry, the squares serve as public gathering spaces

where people can lounge, lunch, or play sports. When heavy showers occur, the squares can retain up to 450,000 gallons of runoff from rooftops and streets, keeping it from flooding neighborhoods that can’t quickly drain it away.

Growing Up

Public gardens are good for the earth (the vegetation can help filter out air pollution) and our personal well-being (a 2018 study suggests proximity to nature can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease). But not every city has the resources green spaces need to thrive, and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay is an example of how to do a lot with a little. It features a grove of 80-to-160-foot “supertrees,” man-made steel-and-concrete timbers that support more than 200 species and varieties of orchids, ferns, and other climbing plants (none of which require soil, and all of which absorb water from the air). The structures also give birdlife cozy spots to call home and provide shade to pedestrians below. And 11 of the 18 trees harness power via embedded solar cells to illuminate themselves after sunset.

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Talking Trash

When landfills are overrun with organic material (onion skins, lawn clippings), they belch methane, the heat-trapping greenhouse gas. OneU.S. city doing its part to reduce this noxious emission: Phoenix. In April 2017, the metropolis built a shiny, industrial-size compost facility to turn food and green debris into rich fertilizer. The system is currently converting 55,000 tons of waste annually, allowing the city to divert 33 percent of its rubbish from landfills. As more Phoenicians climb aboard the compost train, the facility can be scaled up to tackle 220,000 tons.

H2Whoa!

Since 2011, the World EconomicForum has identified water shortages as a huge threat— think cyberattack-level huge— to global security. Who ya gonna call? Namibia. For more than 50 years, the arid African nation’s capital, Windhoek, has recycled its tap water from sewage water (a cheaper and more energy-efficient process than desalination), and cutting-edge technology is wiping out the yuck factor: The treatment plant inWindhoek can produce 5.6 million gallons of crystal-clear water each day— and cities like Wichita Falls, Texas, and Tel Aviv, Israel, are already following suit.

Coast Guards

Can you picture paddling around Boston’s Back Bay on Venetian-style canals or strolling by spongelike wetlands along New York City’s coastline? Rising sea levels threaten Beantown and the Big Apple alike (it’s predicted that much of lower Manhattan as well as more than 32,000 Boston homes could face chronic flooding by 2100). But both cities are embracing flood prevention plans that include erecting levees to hold back storm surges, turning alleyways into waterways, and elevating buildings above sea level. If these epic sports rivals can find something to agree on, there’s hope for us all.

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No. 4 Don't Forget the Kids

As a pioneering lawsuit makes clear, they're the ones who will be cleaning up our mess.



Imagine you're a teen again. Say you live in Oregon, where wildfires annually consume large tracts of land, choking the air with pollutants and sometimes torching homes. You wonder: Will the wilderness you explored as a child someday be gone? Kelsey Juliana has asked herself just that. “I’ve lived through extreme droughts and forest fires,” says the 22-year-old University of Oregon student. So when she had the chance to become the named plaintiff in a federal lawsuit, she eagerly signed up. Juliana v. UnitedStates represents 21 youths—a.k.a. the Climate Kids—and is based on a novel claim: that U.S. energy policy, long reliant on fossil fuels, violates young people’s constitutional rights. “We argue that the government has knowingly perpetuated the climate crisis for more than 50 years,” says Julia Olson, lead attorney on the case,“despite people within government saying that burning fossil fuels has catastrophic consequences.”

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As Olson points out, “the Supreme Court has already recognized our rights to personal security and family autonomy, and our plaintiffs are being deprived of both.” Olson’s case also invokes the 14th Amendment’s equal protection principles: “The reality that children will live with climate change for much longer than adults is one of the factors that makes them a class of citizens being discriminated against.”

Juliana and her coplaintiffs have watched their suit stop, start, and stop again for four years; it’s currently under review by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Oregon (the government’s requests for dismissal all have been denied). Whatever it takes, the Climate Kids are in it to win it. “The civil rights movement needed both bus boycotts and Brown v. Board of Education to be successful,” says Juliana. “The grassroots climate movement and youth-led litigation are similarly working together. I know some see that as radical, but it’s not. It’s patriotic.”

The Climate Kids Speak...

"We have the opportunity to force our government to justify what they're doing—or maybe admit they just don't feel like they have to protect us."— Vic, 19, New York

"When I see melting ice caps and ice deterioration of natural resources, I think about the human beings affected. Despite homes being washed into the ocean and wildfires destroying lives, many people fail to make that personal connection." — Xiuhtezcatl, 18, Colorado

"I live on a barrier island in Florida that will eventually be underwater because of sea level rise. Being part of this case lets me feel like I'm protecting my home." — Levi, 11, Florida

"If climate change wipes us all out tomorrow, how do we want to be remembered? As the generation that did nothing in the face of adversity and chose profits over people? Or as the generation that despite all odds came together to give this problem our best shot?" — Nathan, 19, Alaska.

No. 5 Sweat the Small Stuff

Because your micro-choices add up.

Dial back your water heater and fridge. You monitor your thermostat—now do the same for two of your home’s biggest energy guzzlers. Refrigerators can keep food safely chilled when set to a moderate 40, and for most people, a water heater set to 120, rather than the manufacturer default of 140, will provide a perfectly steamy shower.

8.7 billion gallons of water would be saved this year if every American who washes their car at home went to a car wash just once instead, according to by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen.

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Assuming you brush for two minutes twice daily, you could save almost 3,285 gallons per year.

15 percent That's how much your highway gas mileage could improve if you used your vehicle’s eco-cruise control setting. Better yet...

Go electric. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that over the course of one year, a gas-powered car costs $1,500 to fuel and releases 4.7 metric tons of greenhouse gases; an electric car costs $421 to fuel and releases only 2.3 metric tons.

80 percent less energy used to make dinner? Yes, please! All it takes is wiser use of your kitchen appliances—a microwave instead of an oven, a pressure cooker that cuts simmering time by up to 70 percent.

When your fridge (or AC) shuffles off its mortal coil, dispose of it properly.

Research shows that one of the key solutions to climate change is managing refrigerants, which accelerate the warming of the atmosphere. To find your closest refrigerant-reclaiming facility, check out the EPA’s list.

90 percent of the energy used by your washing machine goes to warming its water. Switch to a detergent formulated to work best in cold water. (Tide, Purex, Gain, and Persil all make cold-water varieties.)

2.34 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year: That's just one of the negative impacts of receipt-paper printing in the U.S., according to an estimate by Green America. The ATM variety are especially needless, considering you can have an e-receipt sent to your inbox.

Back away from the beef (sometimes). Forgive us for saying so, but livestock flatulence accounts for 26 percent of man-made (since we're doing the breeding) methane emissions in the U.S.; methane traps atmospheric heat, speeding up global warming. How to address this gas crisis? Consume less beef and dairy.



459,259,300,000

That's one big number. And by one estimate, that's how many single-use plastic bottles are purchased worldwide each year—less than half of which get recycled. While you're breaking your bottle habit, here's another eco-conscious change worth making: switching to LED lightbulbs. It's theorized that their rapid, widespread adoption could reduce energy consumption by the equivalent of 44 power plants by 2027.

No. 6 Agitate

Three smart, doable ways to make your voice matter.

Green Your Vote

The Vote Climate U.S. Political Action Committee (voteclimatepac.org) has analyzed the public positions of every member of Congress, ranking them on a spectrum from “climate zero” to “climate hero.” Cast your ballot accordingly—but don’t stop there. With the announcement of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, it is incumbent on local governments to keep leading the fight. Urge your governor and mayor to join the United States Climate Alliance (usclimatealliance.org) and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (globalcovenantofmayors.org),respectively, and insist that your state and city legislators articulate a plan for how they’ll help reverse and adapt to the effects of climate change. If they don’t have an answer, support someone who does.

Put Your Money Where Your Principles Are

At least 20 percent of global greenhouse gases are emitted by publicly owned fossil fuel companies, according to the environmental nonprofit CDP’s 2017 Carbon Majors Report. Odds are that some of them feature in the funds fueling your 401(k). Drain the oil money from your retirement account and take stock in the future with investment funds devoted to green energy, like the Fidelity Select Environment and Alternative Energy Portfolio (FSLEX) and New Alternatives Fund (NALFX). You might also consider individual investments in the diverse coalition of companies (IKEA, GeneralMotors, and Etsy, to name a few) listed at there100.org, all of which have pledged to use 100 percent renewable power by 2050 or earlier.

Keep Your Company in Good Company

If you own or work for a small business (nearly half of private-sector employees do), join, or ask your employer to join, the AmericanSustainable Business Council (asbcouncil.org), which advocates for legislation and other policies that privilege a threefold bottom line: people, planet, and profit. While you’re at it, let your local chamber of commerce know that clean, cheap, renewable energy is good for every kind of business and should be a top priority. And remember, customers do take notice. According to a 2017 Nielsen survey, 69 percent of North American consumers say it’s “extremely or very important that companies implement programs to improve the environment.”

No. 7 Don't Panic

Since 2006, the Climate Reality Project—founded by former vice president and ardent environmentalist Al Gore—has trained more than 17,000 Climate Reality Leaders of all ages and nationalities to spread the word about climate change. We asked a few to tell us how they stay positive amid warming poles and rising seas.

Maddie Adkins, 20, Austin

“I try to remember that there is still so much we haven’t lost.When I first heard about the effects of climate change, I thought, Even if I do everything in my power, will it be enough to unbleach the coral reefs? But when we focus only on the things we’ve lost, we lose sight of the many, many things we still have time to save: the lands that haven’t been deforested, the coastlines not yet underwater. These are beautiful, nourishing wild places I love, and fighting the climate crisis from a place of love, rather than fear, is more sustainable for the soul.”

Bill Bradbury, 69, Salem, Oregon

“I’m convinced that in the coming years, our country will flip into developing alternatives to fossil fuels, not only because we need to, but also because those alternatives are cheaper.”

Jamie Margolin, 17, Seattle

"What makes me hopeful is the fellow youths I work with to raise awareness of climate issues. We’re just a bunch of broke high school kids, but every day we get on conference calls, ready to organize mass mobilizations and social media campaigns. In terms of solutions, we have everything we need. There’s no reason to wait."

Jatziri Pando, 39, Mexico City

"When I think about the destruction and harm humans have done to the planet, I immediately think about the people I’ve met who are doing what they can where they are—those who work to save nearby forests and lakes, or their parks, or the trees outside their homes. I’ve been especially moved and inspired by indigenous people fighting against mining, logging, and fracking companies. There is always someone trying to save their most beloved place, and that’s where it all starts.”

Wei-Tai Kwok, 55, San Francisco

“I’ve grown more hopeful in recent years, not less, because humans are increasingly waking up to the threat of climate change. China and the U.S., uneasy allies at best, came together to agree to address the crisis—who would have thought this was possible? Or that Pope Francis would appeal to all peoples of the earth to take urgent action? I’ve worked in solar for a decade, and system costs have declined nearly 75 percent, a startling leap in progress. Electric cars have made huge strides: They’re quieter, nonpolluting, and fun to drive.They’re not a sacrifice; they’re just better. Finally, in engaging with the community as a climate leader, one thing has become clear to me: People care about these issues. Young and old, conservative and progressive—most want to knowhow they can help.”



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