Climate change and community

I have been thinking lately as to how care for the environment can be lived out in our consumer-driven society, and what our society might look like if we did.

I find that for many people, knowledge about climate change – that driving cars and over-consuming is causing harm to the environment – is often not enough to change their lifestyle in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Living in an urban setting, I find the impact of my lifestyle on the environment is often unseen and can feel immeasurable. As an individual, I find it’s often difficult to grasp a relative concept of how my consumption impacts the environment, both directly and indirectly.

But how can we understand climate change as a society in a way that compels us to act? I find that, as an individual, pressure to change my lifestyle often comes in the form of guilt or fear about how it impacts the environment. While this can be effective in some instances, fear can also be paralyzing and make one feel powerless to create change.

It can also have the opposite impact intended. By making climate change seem like an overwhelming problem, there can be a tendency to react with an attitude of, “what difference does it make what I do?”

Tackling climate change must not just be about criticizing behavior that is harmful, but providing alternatives that people can feel positive and passionate about. Eating locally, creating community gardens, using public transportation, and creating bike paths and walking-friendly neighbourhoods can all be small steps towards a kind of society that practices care for creation.

Fortunately, what’s good for the environment can also often be good for our health. Foods that are produced locally have a smaller ecological footprint, and are often less processed and more nutritious. And alternatives to driving cars – such as walking and biking – also promote a healthy lifestyle.

These activities also encourage people to be active in their neighbourhoods and help foster a sense of community. We need to build a sense of community responsibility towards the environment, in which peoples’ daily lifestyles are connected to a deeper value structure about what kind of society we want to live in and how we care for creation.

As I’ve discussed in recent blogs, there is an emotional need in many people for community and a sense of shared values. As George Lakoff notes in “Don’t think of an Elephant!” conservative groups in the United States have learned how to effectively tap into this emotional need through the use of language and framing in order to foster support for their political agenda.

How can this method of communication and framing be used to create a sense of community grounded in care for the environment?

I have many more questions than answers at this point. But learning about all the possibilities we have is a good place to start.