Letter: How to talk about climate change

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Have you ever wondered what it would take to convince someone about the reality of climate change, or at least the possibility of a warming planet? It’s the type of topic that these days tends to yield more talking-past-each-other type conversations than real dialogue about climate and what is important to our families and communities.

On Sept. 30, the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and the UNCA Student Environmental Center are hosting a workshop titled Constructive Communication & Engagement on Climate Change. It will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the UNCA Brown Hall, Room 218.

The workshop will feature an orientation to and practice of communication strategies that are effective for engaging in real dialogue, in addition to several presentations provided by speakers who come from an array of backgrounds and political perspectives.

I hope you will join us in an effort to broaden the audience for effective communication on climate advocacy.

— Dale Stratford
Asheville

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18 thoughts on “Letter: How to talk about climate change

  1. Deplorable Infidel

    ROFLMAO! ‘how to talk about it’…. WHO has time to talk about the greatest hoax on the world ? climate ALWAYS changes …

  2. James

    I’m happy to have a serious conversation about climate change. Here goes… Right now, the climate is changing from summer into fall which is my favorite time of the year. Oh how I love it when those hot days become comfortable, those sticky mornings are crisp and cool, and last but never least, the beautiful colors of the autumn leaves. As much as I like fall, I also like winter so thankfully, the climate will change in December and I hope we have lots of pretty snow and ice to kill off any mosquitos that survived the fall and also, so I can go sledding and skiing. As much as I love winter, I only love it for so long and thanks be to God, the climate will again change in late March and we’ll have flowering trees to delight the visual senses and trigger my allergies (oh well, all good things come with a price). And then around June, I’ll be ready to start swimming again and thanks to climate change, summer will arrive and I’ll be happy in the outdoor pool. Thank you God for climate change!

    • Able Allen

      cli·mate
      ˈklīmit
      noun
      the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
      “our cold, wet climate”
      synonyms: weather conditions, weather; atmospheric conditions
      “the mild climate”
      a region with particular prevailing weather conditions.
      “vacationing in a warm climate”
      synonyms: region, area, zone, country, place; literaryclime
      “they come from a colder climate”

      sea·son
      ˈsēzən
      noun
      noun: season; plural noun: seasons
      1.
      each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth’s changing position with regard to the sun.
      a period of the year characterized by a particular climatic feature or marked by a particular activity, event, or festivity.
      “the rainy season”
      synonyms: period, time, time of year, spell, term
      “the rainy season”

  3. Mike

    Anybody who doesn’t believe in climate change is ignoring a massive about of scientific evidence.. When the Dino’s roamed around Montana (over a million years ago) it was a LOT hotter than it is right now. When the glaciers carved out the Great Lakes 50,000+ years ago it was a LOT colder than it is now.. In the Medieval Warm Period 1000 years ago it was probably somewhat warmer than it is now. In the “Little Ice Age” (CA 1500-1800) it was definitely cooler than it is now. Conclusion: The climate has always changed and always will…. right up until the sun starts to run out of (Hydrogen) gas, becomes a red giant and turns the earth and everything on it into a crispy critter.

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