How to Find Joy in Climate Action | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | TED

0:04 People often ask me what they can do to help address the climate crisis.

0:10 But what they usually mean is what’s one quick, easy, simple thing they can do.

0:17 Well, that particular ship has sailed.

0:20 The climate challenge is gargantuan.

0:23 Thanks largely to fossil fuel executives

0:25 and the PR firms and politicians doing their bidding.

0:29 We need to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity,

0:33 transportation, agriculture, industry and buildings.

0:36 We need to protect and restore ecosystems.

0:39 We need to change society, policy, economy and culture.

0:44 This is about transformation,

0:47 and the stakes for humanity are greater than my heart and mind can fully fathom.

0:53 So I find the best way to cope with this is to avoid

0:57 dwelling on the terrifying scientific projections

1:00 and instead pivot quickly to solutions.

1:04 Now, the climate movement and the media all too

1:07 often ask each of us to do the same things.

1:10 To vote, protest, donate, spread the word, lower our carbon footprint.

1:17 That term, by the way, carbon footprint,

1:19 was popularized by fossil fuel corporations in an attempt

1:24 to put the blame on us as individuals.

1:27 But yes, it is good to do those things.

1:30 I do those things.

1:32 However, all too rarely are we asked to contribute our special talents,

1:37 our superpowers, to climate solutions.

1:40 And what a failing.

1:41 For that would actually enable the radical changes we need.

1:45 So where do we each begin?

1:49 Here's my best answer.

1:51 A Venn diagram.

1:54 The first circle is: What are you good at, what are your areas of expertise?

1:59 What can you bring to the table?

2:02 Think about your skills, resources and networks.

2:06 The second circle is: What is the work that needs doing?

2:09 Are there particular climate and justice solutions that you're keen on?

2:13 Think about systems level changes, things that can replicate or scale.

2:17 Things like composting initiatives, insulating buildings,

2:21 restoring wetlands, getting climate candidates elected.

2:25 And electrifying everything.

2:28 There are heaps of options.

2:30 The third circle is: What brings you joy or satisfaction?

2:35 There is so much work to be done.

2:37 Please do not choose something that makes you miserable.

2:41 This is the long haul.

2:43 So it's critical to avoid burnout.

2:45 Choose things that enliven you.

2:49 The goal is to be at the heart of this Venn

2:52 diagram for as many minutes of your life as you can.

2:57 If you're familiar with the Japanese concept of Ikigai for finding your purpose,

3:01 you can consider this a simplified, climate-focused version of that.

3:06 Taking this approach will enable way more progress on climate

3:11 solutions than if we each obsess about our individual footprints.

3:17 For example, nine months after being inspired,

3:20 when I took him to his first climate protest,

3:23 Boris Khentov, a financial tech executive,

3:26 launched a climate impact investing fund.

3:29 And honestly, I don't care if Boris never goes to another protest again.

3:34 Sarah Stillman, a journalist who covers

3:38 systemic injustices in immigration and worker's rights,

3:42 has started including a deep and nuanced

3:44 climate context for these issues in her reporting.

3:48 And my own mother, a retired English teacher,

3:51 became a small but mighty part of getting fracking banned in New York state.

3:56 And is now mothering chickens and converting

3:59 her lawn into a model for small-scale regenerative farming.

4:04 I call these climate action Venn diagrams, and having now seen many of them,

4:08 in doing crayon versions by children,

4:11 delightfully detailed versions by adults, this is one of my favorites.

4:16 I have a few additional parameters to offer before you draw your own.

4:21 This does not necessarily mean you should quit your job,

4:25 or go start a non-profit.

4:27 Quite possibly, you are most powerful in your existing roles,

4:31 where you already have specialized knowledge and robust networks.

4:35 So how might you lean in to those talents?

4:38 Can you help your town, company,

4:40 church or school charge ahead with climate solutions?

4:44 Because what we need is change in every sector and in every community.

4:50 And be gentle with yourself on the "what are you good at" question.

4:54 Set your insecurities aside and simply consider what you have to offer.

5:00 Over the last year since I've been sharing this concept,

5:03 lots of people have been drawing their own and posting them on Instagram.

5:07 It's been super exciting to see what people have been coming up with.

5:11 But I’ve noticed that a lot of them are

5:14 landing on some version of: “Communicate about climate.” Now,

5:18 I fully appreciate the irony,

5:20 given that I am standing here talking to you about climate,

5:24 but we can't all just talk about it.

5:27 We need doers, we need mutual aid organizers and city council members.

5:32 We need green building retrofitters and wind

5:36 turbine installers and bike lane planners.

5:39 We need culture shapers and policy nerds.

5:43 We need employees pushing their corporate employers to change.

5:49 (Applause) Here's where I will offer what I consider

5:56 to be the sexiest word in the English language: implementation.

6:03 (Laughter) Because we already have most of the solutions we need.

6:08 We need to get to work and to pick up the pace.

6:11 We need to build the biggest, strongest team possible to tackle this most

6:15 enormous challenge humanity has ever faced.

6:19 Another word I love that is perfect for this moment is leaderful.

6:24 I learned this term from Black Lives Matter

6:27 activists who use it as an organizing principle.

6:30 Social movements can be fragile when they're helmed by a few prominent leaders.

6:35 We need many leaders to accelerate this transformation

6:39 from a fossil fueled economy to a regenerative one.

6:42 Maybe you are one of those leaders.

6:45 Or maybe you don't want to be out front.

6:47 That is more than OK.

6:49 This is not about being a hero or an influencer.

6:52 This is about being useful.

6:54 and advancing solutions.

6:56 Contribute to an existing effort, make it possible, build the website,

7:00 raise the funds, plan the events, recruit the talent.

7:04 The question should not merely be, "What can I do to help address the climate

7:09 crisis?" But, "What can we do together?" Join something.

7:15 And if you need a bit of inspiration,

7:17 here is a list of some climate solutions to consider.

7:23 So what will you do?

7:24 Or how will you step it up?

7:26 Actually draw this out.

7:28 What are you good at?

7:29 What is the work that needs doing?

7:31 And what brings you joy?

7:34 Also try to avoid diagramming your way to what you’re already doing.

7:39 Think about this expansively.

7:41 Start with a blank slate, and consider how you can make your best impact.

7:46 Remember: this is about action.

7:51 I've emphasized the importance of everyone contributing to climate solutions.

7:56 So before I close, I want to mention one of the major barriers to participation.

8:02 Inequality.

8:04 Perhaps you know that around the world, it's people of color who are most

8:08 heavily impacted by the effects of climate change,

8:10 whether that's air pollution, hurricanes, droughts or floods.

8:15 But you may not know that it is also people of color who are most

8:20 concerned about climate and most likely to want to be a part of the solutions.

8:25 In the US, where we have robust data

8:27 on this, 49 percent of white Americans are concerned about climate,

8:32 compared to 57 percent of Black Americans and 69 percent of Latinx Americans.

8:38 Imagine the huge and additional contributions these folks could

8:42 make if unburdened from the dangerous distraction that is racism.

8:48 And goodness, do we need all of that ingenuity and leadership.

8:52 In other words, help us, help you, help us all save the planet.

8:58 (Applause) My last challenge to you, then, since all our fates are intertwined,

9:04 is in addition to leveraging your talents, can you help others in using theirs?

9:11 And let's work to demolish the societal barriers

9:15 that prevent people from fully devoting themselves to climate solutions.

9:21 This is what I know.

9:23 There are innumerable possible futures.

9:27 I know we each get some say in which future we'll collectively have,

9:31 and a chance to help build it.

9:34 I know that every 10th of a degree of warming we prevent,

9:37 every centimeter of sea level rise we avoid,

9:40 every bit of nature we protect and restore

9:45 matters I know that our actions add up.

9:48 This?

9:50 This is an invitation.

9:53 Find your role if you haven’t already, encourage others to find theirs.

9:58 Averting climate catastrophe: this is the work of our lifetimes.

10:04 Thank you.

10:06 (Applause)