The Courage to Address Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity today. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless in the face of such an existential threat — whether we are working on the frontline to develop solutions, to shift the status quo, or working to keep our loved ones safe and healthy within such challenging climate extremities. These insights are taken from Christiana Figueres’ powerful acceptance speech for the RSA Albert Medal, where she spoke on the role of courage in tackling the poly-crisis of our time.

The Coexistence of Realities

We are living in two realities simultaneously. Reality #1 is the one where most people think it’s impossible to address climate change. We’re seeing worrying trends in politics, conflict, and the global economy. Ecosystems and people are under increasing stress, and ecosystems are dangerously close to tipping points. This reality can steal the light away from reality #2, where we’re witnessing exponential progress in technologies, and resilient communities worldwide are strengthening.

Why is Courage So Rare?

We’re hard-wired to look towards threats, which can lead us down three ineffective paths: fight, freeze, or flight. Being in anger and fight mode is exhausting, while overwhelm leads to burnout and paralysis. Flight is the easiest path, but it doesn’t lead to behaviour or policy change. We need the path of courage, which involves making a conscious choice not to turn away from the threat but metabolize it into an effective response guided by a whole quality of mind.

The Qualities of Mind Needed for Courage

1. Stubbornness: Gritted determination and resilience no matter what. No barrier that comes up can be powerful enough for us to give up.
2. Openness to others: Being open to new ways of working and creating a better impact, while also practicing empathy towards others.
3. Optimism: Consciously and intentionally bringing a positive outlook to the challenges we face. We cannot overcome them without it.
4. Love: Underpinning all of this is love - love for self, love of others, love of nature, and love of everything around us right now. Satish Kumar calls this Radical Love.

You don’t need to be a leader to lead with these qualities of mind. Every single person has agency, and every species within an ecosystem has a role.

Consciously Choosing the Reality We Want

While we continue to live amidst two realities, one will eventually crowd out the other. Consciously choose the reality you want for yourself, your loved ones, your environment, and your descendants. Then intentionally show up for that, consistently and permanently. What we choose today will be the dominant reality in tipping points. We humans will tip the balance no matter what, so we might as well tip thoughtfully.

A Final Tip: Embrace Embodied Courage

When facing conflict — be it existential or conversational — practice pausing and recognizing our instinctual impulses, and give space to respond more thoughtfully and lovingly. By asking ourselves “how do I stand in my highest expression in a way that invites the highest expression of others” we can transform the conversations we are in, and the actions we take, every time.

Conclusion

Courage is critical to addressing climate change. We must have the courage to address it head-on, even when it feels overwhelming. By cultivating qualities of mind like stubbornness, openness, optimism, and love, we can transform the lens with which we tackle the challenges of the climate crisis. We can consciously choose the reality we want and show up for it consistently and permanently. Let’s have the courage to create a better future for ourselves and our planet.