How To Promote Climate Solutions at the Global, National, Community, and Individual Levels

Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization. Climate disasters like flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires are impacting people around the world at a scale never seen before. We are on the precipice of a catastrophic global temperature rise that will affect all aspects of our lives. The good news is that environmental action groups from the frontlines to the global level are more organized and mobilized than ever with solutions to turn this mess around.

The time to act is now. Learn how.

Recognize that eco-anxiety is real

In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that was a “Code Red for Humanity”.  The IPCC report predicted that we are twenty years away from the irreversible effects of temperature increases.  Without radical action, it will mean the death of millions of people, further displacement of populations, the extinction of certain species, and the disappearance of coastlines and some island nations. 

Eco-anxiety – the chronic fear of environmental doom – is at an all-time high, especially among young people.  A recent survey across ten countries revealed that the majority of young people believe that “they have no future, that humanity is doomed, and that governments are failing to respond adequately.”  In addition to this existential threat to humanity, chronic fear of climate inaction impacts our day-to-day mental and physical well-being.  

One way to alleviate eco-anxiety is to take action on climate change.

Find and take climate actions that are best for you

Whether you are concerned about the climate crisis overall or specifically interested in how you can make a difference in a particular issue area,  all action is good action.  For example, you may be interested in food systems, land management, energy and fossil fuels industries, transportation, international trade, consumption and consumerism, or biodiversity and species conservation and restoration.   We’ve made it easier by offering multiple ways to take climate action and promote climate solutions, from the individual to systems level.  

Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Find what makes you feel good and do it!

Apply an environmental and climate justice lens

Climate change disproportionately impacts communities of color.  In addition, the world’s poorest countries are the least responsible for climate change, and the least resourced to implement solutions, but are bearing the brunt of the consequences.  Small island nations like Fiji, the Marshall Islands, and Vanuatu are fighting for their very existence.  

Frontline communities and grassroots organizations are building climate solutions that center traditional ecological and cultural knowledge and create a path towards a regenerative future.  We cannot solve the climate crisis until those most affected can put forward their solutions and take part in decision-making.

• Learn from, take action with, and donate to organizations such as Climate Justice Alliance, Environmental Justice Health Alliance, Indigenous Environmental Network,  Just Solutions Collective, Just Transition Alliance, and Movement Generation. 

• Learn about and adopt the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing into your own advocacy, organizing, and activism.  The Jemez Principles were conceived by a working group of multicultural environmental and economic justice advocates to guide mainstream environmentalists to integrate a justice-focused approach. 

• Sign this petition from Earth Justice asking the Biden-Harris administration to adopt the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council’s recommendations to center environmental justice in national policies.

Support climate action at the global level

While some countries are doing better than others, none are taking sufficient action to reduce the effects of climate change.  Even though fossil fuel companies and wealthy countries have most significantly contributed to causing our climate crisis, it is the responsibility of all countries to take coordinated actions to reverse it.

To that end, nearly 200 nations have signed on to the Paris Climate Agreement – a global effort to address climate change by reducing global emissions and limiting global temperature increases.  Unfortunately, countries are not meeting their targets. 

• Sign up with Climate Scorecard to get action alerts on how to strengthen global efforts to combat climate change.

  
  

Demand government action on climate change

The U.S. has contributed more to global emissions than any other country.  As a result, the U.S. bears significant responsibility for climate change and must play a pivotal role in global and local efforts to reverse it.  The Biden-Harris administration has made recent progress and is moving in the right direction. But is it enough?  It’s time to demand climate action that matches the scale of the crisis.  

Support legislative action on the climate crisis 

Members of Congress are currently negotiating a climate change and social safety net bill (aka the reconciliation bill or Build Back Better plan) that has the potential to be the country’s most significant climate change legislation ever. For example, it would transform the energy sector by promoting offshore wind and electric vehicles. And cut greenhouse gases, phase out climate super-pollutants, and invest in green jobs. But negotiations are whittling away investments in climate solutions. All Republicans are against the bill and moderate Democrats like Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) are blocking key provisions. Learn more by listening to The Daily’s How a Single Senator Derailed Biden’s Climate Plans and what the alternatives are.

Democrats need your help to get it passed. Tell your Members of Congress to pass a Build Back Better agenda that doesn’t compromise action on climate change and supports transformative investments in climate and environmental justice.  And, if you live in West Virginia or Arizona, or know people who do, it’s time to put pressure on Manchin and Sinema. 

• Contact your Members of Congress today.  Call them using this Call 4 Climate script.  They also have resources to learn more about the big, bold climate investments that we need Congress to pass.  Or sign this petition from Earth Justice, which will be sent to your Members of Congress. 

• Take direct actions with groups like Sunrise Movement.  They are mobilizing to make sure that Congress hears us loud and clear.  And join frontline Indigenous-led groups demanding that President Biden declare a climate emergency. 

• Sign up with Causes to track congressional legislation on climate change and when you can take action. 

Not sure who your representatives are or how to contact them?  Check out our How To Contact Your Reps post.

Support climate leaders at the ballot box

When politicians know their constituents care strongly enough to vote for candidates serious about taking climate action, they are more likely to commit to action, not just rhetoric.

• Vote for climate candidates in every election. Need some guidance?  Check with Vote Climate U.S. PAC for a voter guide and look at The Sierra Club’s endorsements.  

• Find your Congress members’ record on climate change with Vote Climate U.S. PAC’s Congress Climate Scorecard.

Tell corporations to put people and the environment over profits

We live in a capitalist society.  Whether you think that’s a good or a bad thing doesn’t change the fact that many corporations spend vast amounts of money lobbying governments and employing questionable tactics to avoid their social, economic, and environmental responsibilities.  All too often, corporations actively cause harm by protecting their short-term interests and prioritizing profit over all else. And, our governments let them get away with it.  This comes at the expense of long-term, sustainable solutions that have the highest chance of avoiding climate disaster.  

Hold the biggest polluters liable for damages 

100 entities are responsible for 71% of global emissions, with just 20 companies behind a third of all carbon emissions.  The fossil fuel industry — along with agribusiness, forestry, mining, and the energy sector — is fueling the climate crisis while making enormous profits.  And private equity funds have secretly invested at least $1.1 trillion in some of these companies’ dirtiest assets since 2010. These companies have funded climate denial, blocked climate progress, and lobbied against government action for decades.  They have also tried to skirt their responsibility by claiming that consumers are to blame for creating a demand for their products.  

• Check out the Liability Road Map.  It’s a tool to hold polluters liable at the local, national, and global levels. 

Let businesses know that, as a customer, you want them to take action

Learn more in our How To Harness Your Consumer Power for Good post. 

Help your employer take climate action

Employees are the backbone of a company’s ability to operate, innovate, and thrive.  Use that power to influence your place of work to do the right thing. 

• Drawdown Lab’s Climate Solutions At Work Guide helps climate-concerned employees assess whether or not your employer is taking adequate steps to address the climate crisis, and how you can utilize your power to push your company to take meaningful action. 

• The 1.5°C Business Playbook provides an outline for small, medium, and large companies to reduce their emissions.

Use your shareholder power

In an ideal world, companies are accountable to various stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and the community at large.  In reality, businesses are often most accountable to maximizing shareholder profits.  Shareholder activism can and is changing that by exercising shareholder rights to influence companies’ behavior and practices.  

• Do you have a retirement plan (think: 401k, 403b, or IRA)? Contact your asset manager to let them know how you want them to vote for climate action resolutions.  Learn more at Ceres, Majority Action, and Share Action. 

• Own stocks in a company? Use the Climate and Sustainability Shareholders Resolutions Database and Proxy Review to find out how you can vote to influence climate action. 

• Check out As You Sow – they regularly introduce shareholder resolutions that empower shareholders to drive companies toward a sustainable future.

Get active at the community level

Engaging in collective action at the community level is a great way to make a difference.  Join a group of like-minded people organizing to stop the climate crisis. Whether you are interested in advocacy, corporate accountability, taking direct action, or a range of other ways to get involved, there’s a group for you. 

• Check out this list of groups to help you get started. 

• Dig deeper and learn more about what local groups are doing on the frontlines of environmental and economic injustice.  Learn from, take action with, and donate to grassroots organizations in your area. 

• Or join your local chapter of 350.org, Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, Greenpeace, Sunrise Movement, or Waterkeeper Alliance, among others.

Hold yourself accountable

To avert the climate crisis, we need real and radical systems change.  But, sometimes, it's good to focus on the things we can control.   Any actions, small or large, to combat climate change are a worthy endeavor.  Consider the top five contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and implement lifestyle changes that match:

1. Electricity production (burning fossil fuels)

2. Food, agriculture, and land use (deforestation, methane from animals, fertilizers)

3. Industry (making steel, cement, plastic, and refrigerants)

4. Transportation (burning fossil fuels)

5. Buildings (burning fossil fuels with furnaces, hot water heaters, boilers, and releasing refrigerants from air conditioners and refrigerators)

Make lifestyle changes such as using energy wisely, eating less meat, cutting down on food waste, taking public transportation, driving less, buying eco-friendly appliances, and eliminating single-use plastic, just to name a few.  And, if everyone joins in and does their part, we can make a difference. 

Looking for more ideas?

• Listen to How to Save a Planet, a weekly podcast that explores climate solutions and how to solve the climate crisis.  And check out their list of Calls to Action and resources. It compiles concrete actions you can take, and organizations to support, broken down by each episode. 

• Take Drawdown Project’s Climate Solutions 101 course. 

• Make climate your career. Explore environmental-focused jobs at Climatebase.

Take Action

Choose one action and just do it! 

Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.  Everyone has something important to offer. We present a range of actions that empower you to help in ways that are right for you. Whether you have five minutes or five hours, you can make a difference.

Learn more in our How To Be An Everyday Activist guide.

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Everyday Activism Network is a one-stop-shop where you can learn about and take action on a variety of social justice issues and causes. Each week, we publish new posts designed to support your everyday activism.

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Originally published October 26, 2021.

Posts identify both fast actions that you can take in under five minutes and more time-intensive actions that deepen your engagement.  Our fast actions tend to be time-bound, as a result, some posts in the archive may contain expired links. Not to fret, we also recommend anytime actions that never go out of date.