Climate Action Day 0 – Why We Need the 100 Climate Solutions

The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024

In Climate Action Handbook, Heidi Roop starts off with an overview section briefly covering the why of climate action, including where greenhouse gases come from, the scale of the problem, the source of inequities in a world with a changing climate and a snapshot of the climate impacts in various regions of the US. You can find a great deal of information compiled by Jon Hester in The Frog Blog, for instance see Before Our Eyes: Evidence of the changing Earth we can see.

It is critical to understand the scale of the problem. Based on the most recent IPCC report, there are five key statements about global climate change, as summarized by Kimberly Nicholas:

1. It’s warming
2. It’s us
3. We’re sure
4. It’s bad
5. We can fix it

I assume if you are reading this, you accept some or all of this. Hopefully, this includes #5. To address this with urgency requires action through both mitigation and adaptation. If you search adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change you will find numerous Venn diagrams of the overlap of these two separate, but interconnected strategies – climate mitigation to keep the problem from getting worse and adaptation to the changes already underway.

A critical challenge, as Heidi points out, is that because of “historical inequities, systemic racism, colonialism and divestment… historically marginalized communities… are often already experiencing the negative impacts of climate change”. Any and all strategies implemented on the a global scale must proceed through addressing the inequities and if executed well hold the hopeful promise of an “exiting range of opportunities to design and build healthier, stronger, and more equitable communities”.

We need everyone doing what they are capable of with urgency. Heidi offers 100 actions that can be explored by any thoughtful individual who wants to play a part, organized into ten categories:

• Starting and Sustaining Your Climate Action Journey
• Energy Production and Transportation
• Travel and Work
• Food and Farming
• Shopping and Consumer Choices
• Actions Around the Home
• Nature-Based and Natural Solutions
• Health and Well-Being
• Civic and Community Engagement
• Education and Climate Information

I intend to work my way from 1 to 100 over the first 100 days of 2024. I am somewhat motivated to become more disciplined in my writing, and in doing this project I hope to organize my thoughts and hopefully discover new actions that make sense for me and family to implement. I encourage you to do the same.

Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 1: Consider Collective and Individual Actions

Back to 100 Climate Solutions

Howard Creel

#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com

1. 

   We cannot express enough gratitude for Howard and Heidi’s exploration and guidebook to practical action, pushing back against the much-ignored…

2. 

   Yours is a compelling back-story. Thanks for sharing

3. 

   This entry by Howard Creel is particularly excellent, and addresses much more than just our climate crisis. It’s a concise…

4. 

   Thanks, Mark. Of all topics in the series, I have gone the deepest on the sources and sinks of carbon…

5. 

   Brilliant post and analysis. A primer on the cynical tactic of greenwashing, everyone needs to know the difference between talking…