I originally posted this to social media, and it started ‘doing numbers’ as the kids say, so I thought I’d share it here.
If you are struggling with climate grief/anxiety as a result of forest fire smoke, the temperature in the North Atlantic (if you don’t know, please don’t look until you’ve read this article) or any of the other apocalyptic headlines in the news, this article should help.
Ready? Buckle up.
1. Climate anxiety is normal and likely healthy at this point. Also being a little low on oxygen can spike feelings of anxiety, so if you deal with Asthma, that's probably not helping.
2. The antidote to despair is not hope, it's action.
3. As Rebecca Solnit has said, If you don't think anyone is doing anything to help, it's because you're not doing anything to help. Maude Barlow goes on to point out that collective action in the face of this beast is the most effective way to beat back the despair.
4. Read Solnit's excellent book It's Not Too Late, or Barlow's equally excellent one, Still Hopeful. I will not provide Amazon links to either. Please visit your local independent bookstore.
5. I assume you're doing everything you reasonably can to lower your 'carbon footprint.' If not, there are lots of resources you can turn to.
6. Realize that individual action is not quite worthless, but is basically spitting into a hurricane at this point. 100 corporations are responsible for 78 of carbon emissions. You switching to LED bulbs won't fix that.
7. The answer? Join a group, or a newsletter, or a discussion group of some kind of people who are mobilizing to change things at a civic/provincial/federal level. Politics is decided by those who show up. If you have any time or energy, showing up to help/raise your voice/support these groups below will go a long way towards making them more powerful and empowering you.
8. Consider donating to those groups. In a podcast last year with David Roberts, Johannes Ackva explained that donating a large sum to an environmental group that lobbies the government was orders of magnitude more effective at reducing carbon than any other action, including going vegan or switching to transit/cycling/an electric vehicle. Nothing else comes close. If you can't donate a large sum, maybe a small sum, or offer to volunteer. Either way, show up.
Here are some groups in Canada/Hamilton to consider throwing your weight behind:
a) David Suzuki Foundation. They do a ton of great lobbying work and often have online discussion forums and even local meetups.
b) Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada. They literally buy threatened land to preserve it. Simple, elegant, effective.
c) The Narwhal. Canada's most effective environmental reporting. They have blown the doors open on a number of significant environmental stories in Ontario in the past 6 months. They deserve to be read and supported.
Locally to Hamilton:
d) Hamilton Naturalists' Club. Fantastic stewards of a number of nature preserves, and some excellent groups to join for nature outings and activities, along with some great stewardship events. You will meet awesome people.
e) Green Venture. A solid group that does a ton of public education and work with youth. They also run a couple of Miywaki forests and depaving projects around the city. You can't go wrong with helping out here.
f) Environment Hamilton. Your biggest bang for your lobbying buck will come from these folks. They are very effective at mobilizing and getting city hall to listen. Join their email list for updates. Show up to an event.
g) Royal Botanical Gardens. Want to give your money and time to a group that does a tremendous amount to protect biodiversity? RBG is your group. Also if you buy a membership you get access to some of Hamilton's most beautiful spaces.
h) Stop Sprawl Ham Ont. These are the folks who got council to fix the urban boundary to avoid gobbling up valuable farmland. They be small, but they be mighty. They also have regular protests and marches, so if marching and chanting with a sign is your thing, these are your people. Their sister organization Save our Streams Hamilton is also a good bet.
i) If Birds are you thing, then Birdsong Hamilton or Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington will let you get politically active in the name of protecting our feathered friends here in town.
j) Do a litter clean up. This is the lowest hanging fruit of environmental action, and often the most rewarding. Go by yourself, or put a call out on your neighbourhood Facebook page setting a time and location and see who shows up. Spring for gloves and bags, and if you can find them those grabber things for the yucky stuff. Set a time limit for how long you're going to go. Make sure you get everyone's contact information after so you can keep in touch and plan more activities. Voila! You have an action committee! As the saying goes, "In Hamilton, if two people recognize each other on a street corner, you have a committee. If it's three people, you have a movement." Start a movement.
k) and last but not least (last on my list, anyway, there are a TON of other groups I haven't mentioned). If you need something to do the next week or so, Hamilton Falconwatch could sure use some extra bodies to keep an eye on our peregrine family. You'll meet some passionate and energetic bird lovers and be doing really good work at the same time.
Reach out to any of these groups if you're not already throwing your time or money behind an environmental cause. Hope for the future is just a few hours of your time away. Act now. Operators are standing by.
And of course keep listening to my show Tuesdays at 1:00 PM on 93.3 FM and cfmu.ca.
Prologue:
While I get that this is list is very Hamilton-centric, if you live in a city of any size I can guarantee there are local environmental groups doing just as good work as the groups I’ve listed above. Google them, ask friends, seach social media.
Look them up, sign up, show up, cheer up.
It’s not quite that simple, but it’s better than what my friend Martin calls “3:00 AM doomscrolling with whisky and cheese.” You may save yourself, you may help save the planet, either way you probably can’t do it alone.
Get out there and make a difference. Let me know how it goes.
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You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/environmentalurbanist, Instagram @environmentalurbanist or on the page where I podcast my weekly radio show here.