Talking About Climate Change
Find a relaxed moment to introduce the topic. There’s no perfect time to talk to a loved one about climate change—but that doesn’t make it any less important or necessary. If you can, try to find a time where everyone is in a good head space before initiating the discussion. If you or your loved one is already tense, irritated, or tired for whatever reason, you may struggle to have a productive conversation. If you mention climate change and your loved one immediately becomes defensive or aggressive, it may be better to return to the topic at a different time. However, don’t drop the subject completely. Next time, ask your friend or family member when they can carve out a distraction-free time period to talk to you about this important issue.
Maintain a positive tone throughout the conversation. Focus on hope and optimism rather than fear and negative consequences—many people respond to fear by freezing up and becoming more hesitant to take action. Highlight the positive actions that can be taken to combat climate change, as well as the many climate activists doing important work worldwide. For example, you might mention the 6 million people that joined 2019’s global climate strike—showing just how many people are willing to take action against climate change.
Share the impacts of climate change on your own life. Lean on the pre-established bond that you have with your loved one—whether they’re a friend, family member, or significant other. Be vulnerable with them about how climate change has impacted your life and what concerns you have for the future. If you can, share real-life examples and anecdotes so that your loved ones can really understand and connect to your story. For example, you may share your concerns with a statement like, “I’m really scared about my future. I’m not sure I should have kids on a planet that may not be safe for them to inhabit, which is really sad and frightening. That’s why it’s so important to me that I do something.” Or, you could tell a story like, “Many of my friends have lost their homes in wildfires. I’ve seen the kind of pain that they’ve had to go through, and I don’t want that to happen to our family or others.” This person likely cares about you and your well-being. If you’re willing to open up to them and show them just how much this issue means to you, they may be more likely to change their own behavior and mindset.
Connect the issue to something your loved one cares about. Relate the impacts of climate change to the interests, values, and political views of your friend or family member. For example, if you’re talking to someone who loves to spend summers on the coast, you could point out that 31-67% of Southern California Beaches may completely erode by the end of the century. Similarly, you could ask older generations to consider what type of world they want their children and grandchildren to inherit. If you’re talking to your parents, for example, ask them if they want their grandkids to live in a world without access to clean water—which could happen within the next few years if action isn’t taken against climate change. You can also take a climate justice approach and relate climate change to social issues that your loved one cares about. Climate change disproportionately affects certain individuals, such as residents of developing countries, unhoused people, and other vulnerable or marginalized populations. If your loved one is a passionate advocate for anti-racism or the fight against poverty, educate them on how these groups are at a higher risk due to climate change.
Ask questions and genuinely listen to the responses. Try open-ended questions like “What makes you feel that way?” “How could we change that?” or “What do you think a better solution would be?” Show that you’re actively listening by nodding, making eye contact, and turning your body toward the speaker. Avoid trying to “win” the conversation by persuading someone to see your perspective. It’s actually more productive to give someone a chance to reflect on and explore the issue without feeling judged or strong-armed. Even if you disagree, respectfully asking about their opinions can help them reflect on their stance and even be more open to the possibility of changing it. Plus, you’re giving everyone an opportunity to feel heard and respected in a mutual dialogue.
Try to find some middle ground. Look for some points of connection and agreement between you and your friend or family member. Even if you only agree on one small aspect of the topic, that can be enough to shift the conversation from an argument to a discussion. Once you find your common ground, keep returning to that point throughout the conversation, especially when you and your loved one aren’t seeing eye to eye. For example, you may share a desire to leave behind a better planet for your children and grandchildren. If your friend or family member resists your suggestion to take public transportation in order to reduce emissions caused by driving, connect that idea to the well-being of future generations. Say something like, “Remember how you mentioned wanting a clean planet for your grandchildren? Taking the train is just a minor inconvenience for us, but it could help create a more habitable planet for them.”
Share authoritative facts and evidence. Have some hard-hitting climate change facts and statistics in your back pocket when entering into this conversation. Many people who deny or ignore climate change are misinformed and may only be hearing information that reflects their current beliefs, which is why providing them with hard evidence of climate change can be beneficial. However, it’s okay to back off if the conversation is getting too heated. If someone is resistant to hearing the evidence you’re offering, this strategy may backfire, and it may be better to change the subject for now. Don’t feel like you need to be an expert to talk to a loved one about climate change. If they challenge you on something, it’s okay to say that you don’t know the answer! Take the opportunity to do some research and find the answer together—which may actually make your loved one feel more comfortable and supported. Use reputable resources that are science-based, peer-reviewed, and expert-backed. Some good sources for climate change facts include the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the World Meteorological Organization, the UN Environment Programme, NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Harvard College, ACT Climate Labs, and Climate Action Against Disinformation.
Avoid complicated jargon. Stay away from complicated terms or abbreviations when talking to loved ones about climate change. Try using synonyms or simpler words to encompass the same idea or definition that you’re trying to express. If you do use some jargon in the context of your conversation, make sure to explain what you mean in a non-condescending way. While you may be very well-read and fully informed on environmental issues and the complex concepts attached to them, your friends and family may not be. Terms like “biodiversity,” “fossil fuels,” and “carbon footprint” may seem perfectly clear to you, but they can be alienating to others and encourage them to dismiss your points.
Present a solution, not just a problem. While it’s important to mention the threats that climate change poses to the world, it’s equally important to provide solutions so that the conversation doesn’t become an overwhelming, doomsday-type discussion (which may cause the other person to shut down). Come up with potential actions that your loved one can take that appeal to their values and concerns. For example, choosing to bike to work may seem like a really inconvenient lifestyle choice to someone, but it can also save them money (and time, since it doubles as their workout for the day). Plus, it helps fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cars and other motor vehicles. If your loved one enjoys volunteering and helping out in their local community, focus on local solutions like starting a community garden or organizing clothing drives to encourage sustainable practices like recycling, reuse, and food conservation—all of which help reduce greenhouse gasses. Try to stay positive (as much as possible) during this conversation. Your goal here is to inspire your loved ones and give them the confidence to take action on climate change—not just to scare or frighten them.
Advocate for high-impact changes, both personally and systemically. Encourage your loved ones to consider high-impact solutions and changes to their behavior. For example, encourage them to take impactful steps in their personal life, such as shifting to a plant-based diet or saving energy at home. Additionally, try to highlight how systemic change is really needed to combat climate change. The actions of corporations, companies, and governments have a greater negative impact on climate change than individual humans do. As a result, these major entities have a greater responsibility to take accountability for their actions and alter their approach. While that doesn’t mean that individuals shouldn’t also take responsibility for their contributions to climate change, it may help your friend or family member to feel less guilty and recognize the importance of higher-impact solutions like legal advocacy and policy changes. Global deforestation, for example, causes more emissions than daily car use in the U.S. While it is still helpful for people to drive less and explore public transportation options, it’s more important to call up representatives and encourage them to hold environmentally harmful corporations accountable.
Share your experiences of adopting eco-friendly habits. Tell your friend or family member about the habits and behaviors you’ve changed to help the Earth. By sharing your own experiences, you’re showing your loved ones that it’s totally possible and realistic to make environmentally beneficial lifestyle changes—and you may empower them to do it too! This experience could be as small as taking shorter showers to save clean water and energy. For example, share how you started putting on your favorite 5-minute song before getting in the shower, then made a rule that you had to get out by the time the song ended. Add in any information about challenges you faced when first started making this change and how you overcame them. Not only are you sharing a fun way that you incorporated this impactful change into your life, but you’re also relating to any fears or anxieties that your loved one may have around adopting it themselves.
Keep the door open for future discussions. This person’s entire viewpoint and lifestyle probably isn’t going to change in the span of one conversation (and that’s okay). End the conversation respectfully and thank them for listening to your perspective and stories. Let them know that you’d love to talk more about this issue whenever they feel up to it or have any questions. You’ve taken a small (but important) step by discussing this topic with your loved one. Any conversation in the future will feel easier than this one because you and the other person already know where you stand. Between now and the next time you talk, your friend or family member will hopefully take the time to reflect on their feelings about climate change. And, ideally, they’ll join you in the fight against it!
Why should you talk to loved ones about climate change?
Talking to loved ones about climate change can empower them to take environmental action. By empowering others to educate themselves on climate change, you’re doubling (if not tripling!) your environmental impact. You’re also providing a safe space for more voices to reflect on climate change and feel confident enough to join the environmental movement. You may feel uncomfortable sharing your views with your family—like you’re trying to persuade them or sway them to your side. While this feeling is understandable, consider that you’re not coercing or forcing others to take action. But, by helping them better understand climate change and what they can do to stop it, you’re setting a positive example and creating opportunities for others to feel more empowered.
Climate Change Facts to Share with Others
Today's climate change is caused by humans. Climate change can actually happen due to natural factors like volcanoes and changes in solar energy. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, and the cutting down of forests. These factors are causing air and ocean temperatures to increase faster than at any time in human history.
The 2010s were the hottest decade on record. Additionally, 2023 was the warmest year on record (as of January 2024). Keep in mind that unusual, extremely cold weather is also a sign of climate change. The warming of the planet impacts the Earth’s overall temperature dynamics—one of the effects of which is moving cold air from the Arctic to more populated areas.
CO2 is the highest it’s been in 2 million years. For about 10,000 years before the start of the industrial era, CO2 levels in the atmosphere were constant at around 280 parts per million (ppm). As of 2022, the Earth has reached a level of 420 ppm—the highest CO2 level in the past 500 million years.
Many places could become uninhabitable by the end of the 21st century. Climate change is happening faster than animal, plant, and human life can adapt—which means that parts of the Earth will be too hot for any living creature to live in. By 2070, continued high emissions will cause over 3 billion people to live in areas with unbearably hot temperatures. The projected temperatures of these areas are expected to rise to that of the Sahara desert. Aside from temperature, other factors like air pollution may cause certain areas to become uninhabitable or unsafe. Severe air pollution causes negative health effects similar to cigarettes, such as asthma, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Increasing natural climate solutions could create up to 20 million new jobs. Restoring degraded forests, for example, would provide new avenues of employment. In fact, climate solutions can create 3.7 times as many jobs as oil and gas production per dollar. In contrast, excessive heat due to climate change actually created a loss of 302.4 billion work hours in 2019. This number rose substantially from 199 billion hours in the year 2000.
We can still limit climate change. It’s not too late to help halt climate change and improve the health of our planet. If emissions were to stop suddenly, human-caused global warming would plateau within a few years and then gradually reverse. However, exceeding 1.5°C of warming compared to the pre-industrial era (we are currently at 1.2°C) could trigger multiple climate tipping points — such as breakdowns of major ocean circulation systems, abrupt thawing of boreal permafrost, and collapse of tropical coral reef systems — with abrupt, irreversible, and dangerous impacts for humanity.
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