We all know someone who is unaware of the extent of the climate crisis. It can sometimes become awkward when it’s a parent, friend, uncle, grandmother, colleague or even one of your children who is convinced that recycling is enough to save the planet or that reducing resource waste requires too many personal sacrifices (time, money, habits, comfort) to do their part.
Here is some advice on how to improve your exchanges on environmental issues with the people around you - even if they are climate neophytes, climate sceptics, climate-apathetics, climate-inactive or however else you may consider them!
Inspire them with your own action and gestures
The fact that you care about the climate crisis and are doing positive things to address it already gives you considerable influence on other people in your life. The choices you make on a daily basis, like refraining from buying new or unnecessary products and choosing nutritious local food, gives others food for thought. You are already making your case without having to speak, because the people around you notice your lifestyle, and that leads them to ponder their own choices and even to talk about it! Once they get a taste of your lifestyle, they are that much closer to making changes to their own.
Don’t criticize or make they feel guilty
It won’t do any good to point fingers, guilt people, use scare tactics or to be all doom and gloom. According to social and environmental psychology researcher Anne-Sophie Gousse-Lessard, “that discourages people and leads to resignation, followed by denialism mechanisms.”
Take for example, messages about eating less meat and more plant-based protein. Criticizing someone for eating meat is unlikely to get them to change their eating habits. But sharing your favourite recipes or cooking blogs or even making them a delicious and economical plant-based meal that leaves a very small environmental footprint is more likely to encourage them to vary their eating habits.
Raise awareness without annoying or antagonizing them
When the topic turns to environmental issues, you will quickly see that not everyone is at the same level, and some people have a longer way to go. Sometimes just pointing out an action that might be harmful to the environment can annoy someone, especially if they perceive it as a criticism. You may have noticed that parents are especially prone to this. But according to a study published in May 2019 in the science review Nature Climate Change, climate-sceptic parents are more likely to listen to the arguments their children make because they don’t see them as ideological adversaries. It’s all in the way you approach it…
To avoid confrontation, help educate them gradually by starting with listening, empathizing and understanding. Here are some helpful tips (1):
Explore.
Ask what climate change means to someone personally. “How do you see this influencing your life / your generation / your family / your job?”
Show curiosity.
Try to learn what opened their eyes to climate issues: “When did all this hit you?”
Recognize that there are good reasons to be concerned.
“I get why you’re worried.”
Listen.
Encourage a dialogue: “I can see how this is upsetting you…”
Acknowledge that these deep emotions are justified.
“It’s normal to be worried / the climate is an absolute mess…”
Exhibit empathy.
Help the person verbalize their anxiety. Be there for their tears, sadness or anger: “I want to hear about how you view things. / You seem really upset by the situation. / There’s reason to be sad…”
Share.
If you have had a similar experience, share it: “Yeah, I had trouble with all that too.” If not, be honest and acknowledge that this is completely normal: “The more I listen to you, the more I realize I may have been burying my head in the sand.”
Encourage them to take action.
Help those around you reflect on what they can do from a political, community, professional and personal standpoint: “Taking action makes you feel better. / Working together can give you a sense of control and achievement.”
Don’t surrender to despair or to a sky-is-falling outlook.
“We don’t really know what’s going to happen. / We have to take action because that’s the best path to take.”
Don’t try to
give people a false sense of security or cut the conversation short.
Remain friendly,
understanding and empathetic.
Talk about how gratifying it is to be part of the solution
Emphasize how nice it feels to do your part and that acting alongside others makes a difference, even if we feel that we have little control over global environmental issues. For example, tell people how much you enjoy getting around by bike! Explain how cycling is not only good for the planet but it leaves more money in your pocket and is great for your health. This plays up the value of the action and demonstrates the positive benefits it has on a daily basis.
Know the impact of your own actions
Lastly, in order to speak intelligently and have the necessary arguments at your disposal when conversing with others, it’s good to know the environmental impact of your own actions. There are several tools for calculating your environmental footprint, including the Quebec platforms listed here, or this one.
Remember, to make a good case and defend your arguments, it’s best to be well informed and to use reliable sources (beware of false information and content found on social media). And to make your arguments more credible and impactful, use figures, evidence, concrete facts and examples. There are lots of resources on our website!
- Examples cited by therapist Rosemary Randall for the Carbon Conversations Project, reported in the article
