More than environmentalism, this was a lesson in audience awareness. MU Environmental Studies director (and an invaluable advisor to Sustain Mizzou) Jan Weaver gave a short speech last night at the League of Conservation Voters‘ kickoff meeting for the Clean Energy Missouri Campaign. Its simplicity and eloquence impressed me–she knows infinitely more about environmental issues, but chose to highlight just three reasons to address climate change legislation. Whether you seek education on the implications of climate change, or you have trouble communicating the issues with those less informed, this is useful material.*
3 Reasons to Address Climate Change Legislation
1.) Jobs
Supporting clean energy technology changes the balance of power from an outsourced economy to one that creates and maintains local jobs.
2.) National Security
As long as we’re dependent on oil, we’re vulnerable to places with dictators. If something goes wrong, we are the scapegoats because we’re the primary consumers. Furthermore, as climate change pans out, sea levels will rise, drought will increase, and dangerous storms will become more frequent. That’s bad for everyone, but particularly disruptive to developing countries…and the United States will get the blame.
Dogwoods will move farther north as temperatures continue to climb.
3. Dogwoods
Missouri is not immune to climate change. We’ve already shifted to warmer growth zones in gardening indexes–and given the latest freezing blast, maybe that doesn’t sound so bad. But it also means that dogwoods, cardinals and other wildlife we consider distinctly Missourian will move north. Not only will there be an exodus of our most beloved natural resources, soybean pests in Texas will move north, which, of course, will devastate our crops and agricultural revenue. Likewise, this state will begin to grow less economically important timber species.
As Jan concluded, “we can’t afford to ignore it.” Nor can we get burned out. Using CFL and conventional lightbulbs as an example, Jan explained that it takes time for change to come about, and we need to prepare for the long haul. She predicts that it will take at least a decade to see a real transformation in climate legislation.
Therefore, we must be understanding–”recall where you were before you bought a lightbulb.” Persistence is critical, but it shouldn’t overpower patience and kindness. When communicating the importance of climate change, we should remember to listen to the other person. They might connect best to the idea of local jobs, national security, or natural resources.
Finally, we need to know our facts. Dr. Weaver recommends the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.
Something Sustain Mizzou does well (and something I suspect Dr. Weaver influenced) is our respect for others in the way we communicate. It’s embedded in our mission “to promote a sustainable way of life at the University of Missouri-Columbia through education, cooperation, and local action regarding the environment.” We try to consciously steer clear of “you should” statements, and instead offer help. Patience and kindness guide our actions, and it’s one of the main reasons I’m so proud to be a part of the organization.
As far as LCV goes, so far so good. We’re trying to get hundreds of letter to Senator McCaskill from Boone County–benign enough. If you’re in the area and want to help, the following events are already scheduled, with more to come:
- Letter writing party: Tuesday, January 26 at the Underground Cafe at 7 p.m.
- Call-In Day planning meeting: Thursday, January 28 at the Underground at 7 p.m.
*If there’s some rhetorical error here, it’s likely mine (the notes aren’t verbatim).
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