What role can we play to ensure a thriving future?

Enormous change is upon us.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine—a peaceful democratic nation. Reports of intense shelling and civilian casualties suggest a very dark direction. Our hearts are with Ukrainian families who are watching their country be destroyed, and families endangered. We fear for them in the coming days. We pray for peace. (Here are some resources on ways to support the people of Ukraine.)

While not a fossil-fuel motivated war, Putin is most certainly propped up by his country’s fossil-fuel profits, and sanctions are hemmed in by western European dependence on Russia’s fossil-fuel supply. Bill McKibben’s piece, “This is how we defeat Putin and other petrostate autocrats,” offers a succinct analysis of the climate intersection here, and why this crisis demonstrates another crystal-clear reason that a swift transition to renewables worldwide is what’s needed now.

Then, on February 28, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report from Working Group 2 focused on climate impacts, adaptation, and resiliency, issuing another loud and clear call to humanity:

"Our report clearly indicates that places where people live and work may cease to exist, that ecosystems and species that we've all grown up with and that are central to our cultures and inform our languages may disappear," said Prof Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC.

"So this is really a key moment. Our report points out very clearly, this is the decade of action, if we are going to turn things around."

To have a hope of achieving the threshold goal of 1.5 degrees global temperature change, and avoiding catastrophic climate change impacts, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030. In other words, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% in the next 8 years. Right now, we’re on track globally to increase emissions 14% in the next decade.

It’s really beyond overwhelming.

Amy Martin said it well in her recent episode of Threshold: “it’s like we have a lit stick of dynamite in our own living room, and we’re watching the flame move closer and closer to the explosives, but we haven’t decided whether or not to put it out.”

What are our political and business leaders thinking? What kind of future are they imagining? What kind of future will our kids face?

Deep breath.

Martin goes on to say, “It’s an extremely dangerous situation. But our choices have a huge impact on whether or not that danger gets amplified or diffused.”

Looking to U.S. history, we know that it’s possible to rise to this challenge quickly. We also know from this latest IPCC report that we still have a (very small) window to turn things around. We must all act now so that we have a chance to reach the critical goal of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees C. Every tenth of a degree of warming matters; there is never a time to give up.

Dr Helen Adams, a lead author on the new IPCC report, said, "One of the things that I think is really, really clear in the report is that yes, things are bad, but actually, the future depends on us, not the climate."

Or, as Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief and now at the Global Optimism group, puts it: "We can prevent and protect ourselves from extreme weather, famines, health problems and more by cutting emissions and investing in adaptation. The science and the solutions are clear. It’s up to us how we shape the future.”

Everyone has a part to play in moving the dial and saving our world. We can use our positions, our connections, our voices, and our power to make change.

Action is our hope.

You know that you want a livable future for your family, and that is all you need to know to get involved.

1. GET INVOLVED: DONATE, VOLUNTEER, TAKE ACTION

Join us. Find another group. Show up when called for online actions, important events, or demonstrations. Connecting in community will build momentum for action, and it will support your resiliency as we face climate impacts. Stay tuned statewide for important ways you can hold NorthWestern Energy, our monopoly energy provider, accountable.

2. TALK ABOUT CLIMATE, EVERYWHERE.

Talking about climate change is crucial for building support for bold action. Share your climate story as a place to start. Check out Katharine Hayhoe’s MT talk from last spring, “The First Step to Tackling Climate Change”. Worried about having these conversations? Join us for an informal, climate conversations skills workshop.

3. WRITE OR CALL ELECTED OFFICIALS REGULARLY.

Today, you can write them to say Montanans Stand with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, and that we want our future fueled by renewable energy to ensure a clean and affordable future for our kids.

Contact Governor Gianforte https://svc.mt.gov/gov/contact/shareopinion

Contact Senator Daines https://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve?

Contact Senator Tester https://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=email_senator

Contact Rep Rosendale https://rosendale.house.gov/contact/

4. ELIMINATE YOUR BIG-TICKET EMISSIONS

If you have the means to do so:

5. LEAD IN YOUR FIELD.

Start climate conversations at work. Lead an emissions reduction effort for your organization or company. Switch to a needed climate field. Project Drawdown has great resources for workplace leadership. Check out their new guide, “Climate Solutions at Work” for tools, tips, and resources to bring climate action to your workplace.

6. Vote. Run for office.

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Millions of people are taking concerted action to address to the climate crisis. The wheels are turning. Change is happening. But, given our extremely short timeline to preserve 1.5, and the powerful headwinds generated by the fossil fuel industry, we need everyone to grab hold of the wheel and pull.

Your involvement is crucial to addressing this crisis successfully. You likely won’t be a hero, but you can be one critical thread in a vasT network of transformation.

Please join in. We really need you.

Winona Bateman