THREE STEPS TO TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

In this assignment, you will craft a short, easy-to-speak, and scientifically grounded response to the question, “How do you think about _____?” In “How to Talk about Climate Change in 3 Easy Steps,” Peterson Toscano provides three steps to talk about climate change. In sustainability, we face issues like climate change that are often characterized as “environmental issues.” But they are often more than that—they are social, political, human rights, national or global security, or human health issues. This short writing and speaking exercise will get you to think about that.

Guidelines:

1.  Listen Episode 25 of Climate Stew, “How to Talk about Climate Change in 3 Easy Steps” linked here and Chris Mooney’s “The vicious cycle that makes people afraid to talk about climate change” in The Washington Post linked here.

2.  Follow the directions from Climate Stew. They are:

  1. First, identify the issue you want to talk about: climate change, water pollution from resource extraction, overfishing, etc.
  2. Speak from who you are. For example, Peterson says, “It’s funny. I’m not an environmentalist.” Former Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC) might say, “As a conservative…” There are many ways to recognize the group or tribe that you do or don’t come from. By recognizing that, you can gain some credibility because you are owning who you are.
  3. Following your statement about yourself, identify how you see the issue. For example, Peterson says he sees climate change as a “faith issue.”
  4. Imagine some says, “Really? Why?” Write why in three sentences. To do that, you’ll need to find three respected and well-vetted sources that back up your assertion. If, like Peterson, you were to focus on climate change and faith issues, then use the teachings of your faith background and connect them to scientifically-sound evidence for the impacts of climate change.

3.  Write out your statement in five to six sentences. Cite your sources in text.

4.  What questions would you ask yourself following your statement. Write two of them down and prepare short three-sentence answers.

5.  Memorize your original statement, your responses to possible questions, and be ready to deliver them in conversation.

Grading:

As with all written material you will be graded on whether you answered the prompt, the clarity of your response, and the appropriate level of detail. Your spoken reply will use those same criteria in addition to your level of preparation.

Materials:

Climate Stew, “How to Talk about Climate Change in 3 Easy Steps,” https://climatestew.com/podcast/episode-25-how-to-talk-about-climate-change-in-3-easy-steps/

Chris Mooney, “The vicious cycle that makes people afraid to talk about climate change,” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/12/the-vicious-cycle-that-makes-people-afraid-to-talk-about-climate-change/?utm_term=.8d1ae9ba3435