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If we -- bloggers, and journalists --- are to be help generate grass roots support for substantive action on climate change, as Al Gore asked of us recently, what is our goal? I wrote a little about this last time.
The answer many seem obvious: we want people to care about our environment. True enough. But care comes in many forms. And so what kind of support, exactly, are we trying to generate?
Here are some thoughts. They're rough, but are guided by three ideas: inclusion, strength, and flexibility.
Our goal should be to move the environment into the mainstream. Polls show that while climate has become Americans number one environmental concern, it still lags far behind other mainstream issues like Medicare, Social Security, and national security. We should try to place it in the top five national concerns of the American public.
To do so, we would need to build a base that is:
Strong through diversity. Belief in the climate crisis is a bit like religious faith founded on scientific fact. Under the banner of environment, there are degrees of conviction, and differing schools of thought. A movement built on only one degree may be sharp, but it will be brittle. We would do well to include the spectrum of belief.
Informed. The message is simple: our environment is our lifeline. It supports our economy, our security, and our health. To invest in protecting the environment, then, is to invest in our continued national prosperity. To do nothing defies the best of our knowledge, to say nothing of our better judgment.
And forgiving. It is easy in the face of a growing crisis to urge the full measure of personal responsibility. But for a public that is still coming to terms with the reality of th science, this will certainly be too much. Instead, we should urge actions easily adaptable to the reality of their lives: busy and connected.
With these goals stated (and there are certainly are more) how do we achieve them?
I'll share some thoughts about that next time.
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