Russ Vernon-Jones

love, justice, and climate change … I know you can make a difference.

Individual action

Blog FEATURED 

Celebration, Vigilance, and a New Burst of Energy

russvj 3 Comments , ,

We have a President-elect! We have a President-elect who has named four major priorities for his incoming administration: climate change, racial justice, jobs and economic recovery, and COVID-19. We have a Vice President-elect who is a woman of color — a Vice President-elect who co-sponsored the Green New Deal resolution in the U.S. Senate. It’s time to celebrate!

I’m well aware that Trump is refusing to concede, fighting to stay in office, and making moves that are damaging to both our democracy and the incoming Biden-Harris administration. I know not having taken the Senate (yet?) is a major obstacle to progress on all key issues. I’m as upset as you likely are that over 70 million people voted for the lying, climate-destroying, abuser of women, pandemic-exacerbating, white supremacist Donald Trump. I’m clear that Joe Biden’s proposals are not as bold as we need.

Nevertheless, we get to celebrate. We can’t know how messy things will get, and we must remain vigilant, but I think it is most likely that we will get Joe Biden and Kamala Harris into office.

Read more
Blog FEATURED 

Is There Still Time?

russvj 0 Comments , ,

When I was a very young child I loved books and I loved being read to. My mother, or my father when he was available, would read to me at bedtime. It was a brief, happy time each day. It always ended with the announcement that it was time to turn out the light and go to sleep. I couldn’t tell time yet, but each night I knew that time for books was running out. My constant question was, “Is there time? Is there time for one more book?”

Many of us have that question about climate change. Is there still time? Is there still time to reduce emissions, sequester more carbon, and avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming?

There are some bright spots, some big challenges, and some hard realities in the current answer to this question, as I see it.

Read more
Blog 

Retrospective – 12 Starters for “Talking Climate” with Everyone

russvj 0 Comments , ,

This month, March 2020, marks the one-year anniversary of my blog, “Love, justice, and climate change … I know you can make a difference.” – 25 posts in all. Whether it’s because you have a busy life, or because you only recently started reading this blog, you likely haven’t read all of them. This post provides a retrospective of the first 12 posts (more to come later) — an annotated table of contents, if you will. This will let you see what’s there and perhaps go back and read ones that are of special interest to you.

Read more
Blog 

A Battle for Your Mind

russvj 0 Comments ,

I used to think that if people of good will had more information about climate change, they would all be moved to take action to stop the climate crisis. I don’t think that any more. Why are some people moved to take action as they learn about climate change and some are not? One key variable is what perspective you hold about whether you believe you can make a difference, and whether or not you see yourself as significant, or potentially significant. If you believe you can make some difference you are much more likely to take action.

Don’t we all have this problem, to some extent? Don’t we all have days when we feel engaged, connected to others, and glad to be part of the action; and other days when it seems like nothing we do matters and the problems are all too big for us?

Do you have a choice?

Read more
Blog 

Talking and Listening Are Key Climate Action Strategies: 4 Ways to Start

russvj 1 Comment ,

I sometimes find myself wondering if anything I do to try to help stop climate change makes a difference. So it got my attention when the Yale Program on Climate Communications reported recently that having more frequent conversations with friends, neighbors, and relatives about climate change really does make a difference. These conversations shift people’s perceptions to greater …

Read more
Blog 

Eating As If Climate Change Is Real

russvj 0 Comments , , ,

Years ago when I was teaching first and second grade, we had a charming little book in our classroom library that featured photographs of families from different cultures around the world, eating their traditional foods. I loved this book because it showed cultural differences appreciatively, while highlighting a key commonality of people around the world – we all need and eat food.

Read more