All week in our collective talking about the state of climate coverage so many ideas have come up. My own thoughts have been shifting quite rapidly. We need to challenge readership, we need to challenge ourselves to write more, we need to change our style. We certainly need to do something. And instead of telling you all what you should be doing, I’m just going to speak for myself.
My first need is a road map. A plan. Some more concrete direction to gauge whether I am lost or on the right track. Sometimes you are lost and don’t know it, and sometimes you think you are lost but are on the right track. But without landmarks, a plan, or direction, I can’t even be lost, I’m just wandering aimlessly. In all my desires for what I want to see in other people’s coverage, what I most want to see is the sign of a plan.
Over the years I’ve seen parts of plans, such as the Paris Climate Accords or the Green New Deal. But while I understood parts of those plans, I personally never ran into good comprehensive summaries which included all of what our goals are, how we measure those goals, what those goals achieve for us, and how we implant those goals logistically, organizationally, and politically. I’m positive there have been some out there, I just never ran into them myself. I mostly feel like I’m wandering through a forest, smell the smoke, but am never able to find a tree that peeks above the canopy or a hill to get a view of the surrounding area. I know the forest is on fire, I run across many problems I know are somehow connected, but I can never grasp the big picture.
For most of my life the forest fire was far away, in the next county or states and while I wanted it put out, I never knew the steps to help make it happen. I’ve been looking for a road map. Now I am finally coming to realize I need to make my own. I will share it with others, but my map may not serve their needs. But I also can’t wait to make the perfect map that serves everyone. I need to gather what I do know, put together some sort of a plan, and implement that plan.
I will be sharing my process with any who want to tag along. Why should you follow me? I have no clue. There’s many more qualified people. But the forest is on fire and I may not find them. There’s also so much work to do that the people I do know who are working on things and are far more qualified are crazy busy. I will continue to learn what I can from their maps even as I build my own.
So here’s my plan.
- Write on Daily Kos about climate change. But why stay on Daily Kos?
- Daily Kos has a well moderated group of users which I’ve never found elsewhere.
- Daily Kos has a good cross section of people most likely to help with Climate change and to learn from, which I can freely add my own contributions to.
- Many Progressives sites have paid staff writing and no or little opportunities for someone like myself to contribute.
- Many Blog sites such as Medium have a less politically active audience.
- Perhaps there is a better site out there, but I don’t know of it. I’d rather start building my plan here than keep searching for something I may not find.
- If staff won’t help, so be it. I can move on without them while still using the site. I’m done trying to move that rock.
- If I succeed I provide them a model to follow
- Challenge Myself to write — 10 Climate articles over 13 weeks
- There are many writers already writing a lot about Climate on Daily Kos, they don’t need a challenge, but I do.
- Accountability for actions is important. By publicly challenging myself it can help motivate me to keep my promises when I’m tired, busy, or just need a break.
- So over the course of October, November, and December I am challenging myself to write 10 articles (over 13 weeks). That’s nothing compared to some writers, but it’s daunting to me because I will be writing outside of my comfort zone and don’t have much free time.
- Experiment with different styles
- One of the things I’ve already learned from interacting with other Climate writers is different things motivate different people. Earth shatteringly obvious, but I needed to learn that.
- I’ve learned that many “doomers” of various shades and hues are not put off by the pessimism. But instead push on in the best Stoic tradition.
- But many people are closer to me and look for the hope and the optimism.
- Find my style, and move forward with it
- Even though different styles are appreciated by different people, I need to be me.
- Climate Change is too big for any one person. I will never be able to reach everyone.
- Do my part with the style I’m best in and encourage my fellow writers to move forward in their own styles. So long as our efforts are complimentary, they don’t need to be identical.
- Experiment with different subject areas
- Everything is climate change right now, but there are some coverage areas I’ve been thinking about
- Translating Science articles to English. Pakalolo does this really well already. I could try to assist as there are many more than Pakalolo can cover.
- Recent events. A little more straightforward news reporting. (Seems reasonably covered already and my limited amounts of time make writing timely articles challenging for me)
- Meaning making: addressing the feelings, emotions, fears, worries and hopes
- Filling in the map: Writing about different organizations doing different activities and helping people know about them so they can connect in how they can
- Politics. This is the area I feel there is the most need but also the area I feel the least capable of achieving. These are articles such as which politicians supports what, what legislation is coming up, and translating how that legislation will achieve our larger objectives. Some writers are already covering parts of this but it’s such a big load any one person can cover so little.
- The Larger Objectives. I think everyone paying attention knows about 1.5 degrees vs 2 and so forth. But educational articles going into more details about how those numbers connect to other aspects could possibly be useful.
- Clarify a larger plan for implementing solutions to climate change. (Not me coming up with one, but clarifying what serious people are already doing and translating it for public consumption)
- Identify other subject areas as I learn more
- Coordinate with other writers if they want to
- Do better research and record good sources
- Folks frequently offer such resources, I need to follow up on them
- I need to budget the time for the follow up
- Just to start the list here
- Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Ministry for the Future.”
- Gardening Toad’s resources:
- Potential future articles (may already be sufficiently covered by others, just brainstorming)
- Finish and publish my article “Ukraine and Climate: The Ring must be destroyed or the War is in vain.”
- Contact candidates for CA senate seat and evaluate their Climate stances, including Filibuster reform
- Contact AOC office regarding their assessment of what is needed for climate change
- Series on profiles of Climate Organizations and what their latest projects are
- Focus on policies enactable in local communities
- Explore current carbon sequestration prospects
- Explore the far out solutions
- Examine projected costs (already done by other sources, collect info and give it my own explanation)
- much more
- Listen to people
- Many readers have been commenting what they want to read about.
- Keep refining these goals with those thoughts in mind
- See if recommend responses match what people say they want.
- Keep making this map better.
Stretch Goal if I really improve at climate writing: Get paid to do this so I can focus on it full time. ;)
I will be using the hashtag #ClimateChallenge to represent my own challenge to myself. If others wish to participate by Challenging themselves with whichever goal works for them then feel free to use it. I encourage all climate writers to use a specific hashtag and consolidate our writings under it. I don’t care which one and #Climate, #ClimateChange, and #ClimateCrisis all make sense to me. I’m happy to follow others but I do suggest we consolidate.