Why do I care so much about the climate?

I've always cared about it, but there was one traumatic and painful experience that changed it from one of my passions to my life's mission.

My wife Laura had emergency life-saving surgery in February 2019. And through that experience I learned about the fragility and impermanence of life. And I learned about what I can and can't control.

It made me ask myself: "What is my purpose in life?"

And since then, I have poured that trauma and pain and fear and grief into climate action. Because I want the world to be a better place.

That's my climate story. I'd love to hear yours.

What are you fighting for?

Household plants filter air, help kids learn better, and create better health outcomes. They truly have magical and wondrous properties.

Laura and I take care of ten plants in our home. This nurturing on a micro-scale makes me feel more connected to our Earth - our collective home. 

I feel more gratitude, more awe, and more wonder seeing these plants grow and thrive. And taking care of these plants makes my heart feel full.

Much love to all of you. And to all of your plants as well!

Have you ever had a stroke of good luck? A promotion? Perhaps a new house or new car? And then months later found yourself at the same level of happiness as you were before?

Let's talk about the hedonic treadmill. Because it's time for all of us to step off.

For our sake. For our children's sake. For the sake of the planet.

We all have one life to live. How will you live yours?

The climate emergency is what I think about the most. It's what I care about the most. We need to transform all aspects of society immediately to avoid the worst effects of climate chaos.

But many people are unaware of the climate emergency. That's why I want to teach you.

Yes, you. Whoever you are. Whether I know you personally or not. I want to teach you. For free. About the climate. From this day until the end of my days. This offer stands forever.

What can we learn about? Here are some ideas: sustainability basics and principles, climate basics, the climate emergency, what to do about the climate emergency, emissions by country, corporate greenwashing, plastic pollution, calculating your own carbon footprint, the divestment movement, food, cars, bicycles, airplanes, environmental justice, intergenerational justice, economic justice, doughnut economics, climate communication, climate philosophy, climate feelings, the joy of living a low-carbon lifestyle... We could even read an essay or book together. Or watch a documentary together. I'm game for anything.

Send me a message. Let's learn together. Because once more people know about this, more people will act.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

This week I watched a documentary called Dominion. It's like a greatest hits compilation of animal abuse and cruelty. It was very difficult to watch.

We know that animal agriculture has a profound negative effect on the climate. This documentary highlighted another reason to eat more plants: animal welfare.

In this episode I reflect on my helping to slaughter a lamb almost nine years ago. And how that has impacted my thinking.

This stuff is unpleasant. But it's important to seek and know the truth. Where does our food come from? And why are we, the consumers, so far removed from the killing of animals?

The French government cancelled plans to expand Charles de Gaulle airport. Woohoo! That's a massive win for the climate.

But ending commercial aviation must come from the bottom-up as well as from the top-down.

I quit flying on October 6, 2019. And I plan on never flying again.

And there's more and more research showing the shifting social norms around flying. More and more people are flying less or quitting altogether because of the climate emergency.

Will you join us?

What do you think of when you hear "natural gas"? What do you think of when you hear "methane gas"?

Communicating the climate emergency effectively is necessary to create rapid and transformative change. We just have to choose our words carefully.

That's why I choose to use the following language:

1. methane gas over natural gas

2. global heating over global warming

3. plant-based diet over vegan diet

How will you communicate the climate emergency?

I had a bit of a bumpy week regarding my climate feelings.

The three I feel most often are sadness, anger, and restlessness.

So I decided to air them out this week. To talk about them. Because sharing my climate feelings with other people always makes me feel better.

It's normal to feel these things once you know the state of the world.

So air them out. How does the climate emergency make you feel?

And message me if you want to air your feelings out together. I'd love to chat. Much love to all of you.

Exponential GDP growth doesn't make sense on a planet with finite resources.

Dr. Kate Raworth has created the economic diagram for the future of our planet and all of us: The Doughnut!

We must thrive within the doughnut by respecting ecological boundaries and maintaining our social foundation in order to have a just, equitable, and sustainable society for all people.

Throw away the antiquated economic principles. And embrace the doughnut.

It is the responsibility of white people to dismantle white supremacy in all its forms. That's the only way forward to create a just, equitable, and sustainable society for all people.

BIPOC leaders featured in this episode include Layla F. Saad, Cori Bush, Leah Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.

But it is up to white people to do the work. So let's get to work.