How to survive awkward conversations this holiday season

As families come together and sit down for the holiday season, uncomfortable situations will undoubtedly arise as people differ in their opinions and beliefs. In anticipation of this, the Sierra Club has written a ‘Dinner Conversation Guide’ to help navigate the political subjects that may come up, in particular, those related to climate change.

CLIMATE DISRUPTION

While it’s true that Donald Trump denies the science of climate disruption, he’s the only world leader who does. Given the overwhelming consensus of scientists (more than 97% agree) and the impacts already being felt around the world, even conservative organizations like the US Chamber of Commerce are doing an about-face and acknowledging that the climate is rapidly changing because of human activity. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, atmospheric warming will reach 2.7°F around 2040—just 20 years from now.

Under that scenario, many marine and coastal ecosystems will have crashed beyond the point of recovery. And the famines, floods, heat waves, polar vortexes, wildfires, hurricanes, and tropical cyclones that have dominated the news recently will increase in number and ferocity.

To stop that from happening, we need to reduce emissions very quickly by transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources. That’s a tall order, but it’s also an opportunity to create millions of good-paying jobs (see The Green New Deal).

Sitting across the table from a climate denier? Check out this FAQ from The Climate Reality Project.

COAL

Coal is not coming back, no matter how many times Trump tries to prop the industry up. Local grassroots community action has helped retire more than half of the remaining coal plants in the United States.

Meanwhile, clean energy use is growing rapidly, since in almost 75% of the country, it costs more to operate existing coal plants than to build new wind and solar facilities. Cities and companies are turning away from this dirty, expensive fuel—and turning towards 100% clean energy! The decline of coal has resulted in healthier communities, fewer cases of deadly asthma, and less mercury poisoning in our food. Even if we could stop coal’s decline, why would we want to go backward on public health?

DRILLING, FRACKING, AND PIPELINES

The fossil fuel industry’s insatiable drive for bigger profits is threatening our communities, coasts, waters, and public lands. Although President Trump and his cabinet appointees may love the idea of more drilling, more pipelines, and fewer, weaker protections for clean air and water, we the people have made our voices heard loud and clear. We want clean energy, not more fossil fuel drilling, fracking, and pipeline construction that virtually guarantees more spills, more poisoned waterways, more air pollution, and accelerating climate change. What our country needs is to reduce our dependence on dirty fuels and lead the transition to 100% clean, renewable energy.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

If you hear anyone talking about the EPA’s overreaches, remind them that EPA head Andrew Wheeler is a former coal lobbyist. For as long as he’s been at the EPA, he’s done the coal industry’s bidding by rolling back as many clean air, clean water, and climate protections as he can. So far he’s rolled back—or is trying to roll back—safeguards that protect us from lead, mercury, air pollution from cars and coal plants, and water pollution from coal plants. Wheeler doesn’t seem to realize that the EPA is charged with protecting our air and water and setting standards that defend public health—or that we’re already paying for fossil fuels with our health. We need the EPA to prioritize people, not the fossil fuel industry’s profits.

PARKS AND PUBLIC LAND

For many families and friends, a holiday visit will include some type of outdoor activity—maybe even visiting a national park. For anyone who may not know, it’s worth noting that the current administration is engaged in the largest attack on parks and public lands in our country’s history. President Trump and Interior Secretary Bernhardt continue to undermine protections for national monuments by downsizing them—sometimes drastically—and by opening up millions of acres of lands to oil and gas drilling. It’s the opposite of what the science tells us we need to do: Keep natural places wild, so they can be part of the solution to climate change instead of part of the problem. It’s more important than ever that we stand strong for the preservation of public lands and for everyone’s ability to enjoy them.

FORCED CLIMATE MIGRATION

Catastrophic storms, heatwaves, flooding, drought, desertification, wildfires, sea level rise, and other climate-change-induced extreme weather events are increasingly forcing people to leave their home region due to sudden or long-term changes to their local environment that threaten their health, their well-being, and their ability to secure a livelihood. Climate refugees—also referred to as environmental migrants—may choose to flee to another country, or they may migrate internally.

The communities most affected by climate disruption are often those that contribute the least to the problem—in other words, poorer people who consume relatively little and have a small carbon footprint disproportionately bear the brunt of climate disruption and are more likely to become climate refugees. There are more people displaced today than any other time since World War II—one person every second. Because the number of extreme weather events is increasing exponentially, this number is likely to increase commensurately. Studies show that by 2050, as many as 250 million people could be displaced by climate change worldwide.

NO POLITICS, JUST ACTION

When your cousin says they’re “just not really into politics,” spare them the lecture on why the personal is political. You can honor their feelings by steering them toward individual actions they can take to go green and make a difference. Sierra magazine’s lifestyle section features tips, advice on sustainable food & drink, and green crafts. They also have a great column, Ask Mr. Green—soon to be Ask Ms. Green—where people can submit tough questions about green living. And if they like to cycle, run, dance, or hike, they can put their passions to use in fundraising. Check out Team Sierra to see some awesome ways they can raise money for the Sierra Club!

To read the guide in full, click here.