CARI April 2022 Community Meeting

“When I bring up climate change, the conversation always goes smoothly and we always agree.”

…said no one ever!

*Please bring proof of COVID vaccination and an ID.*

Like other politicized and upsetting topics in our society, climate change can be challenging to talk about. Join us in person in Providence on Wednesday, April 6 to learn how to improve these conversations. We'll discuss questions like:

• What challenges arise most often for us when talking about climate?
• Do we really need to avoid apocalyptic statements? When does it make sense to mention the looming threat of deadly heat waves and catastrophic hurricanes and flooding?
• When could building a relationship be more important than convincing someone?
• Can being better listeners improve our conversations?
• Have we tried “star-manning” instead of “straw manning”?
• How can we talk about our climate work in a way that inspires others to get involved?

Pre-reading/Listening: Before the meeting, please listen to or read this Climate One podcast episode:

• FINDING THE HEART TO TALK ABOUT CLIMATE. This web page includes a link to the audio conversation (50-minute listen), a short summary (3-minute read), and a full transcript of the conversation (40-minute read).

If you have time, check out these optional additional readings:

• How to Star-Man: Can we have better conversations by trying to understand the other side?
• How to Talk About Climate Change Across the Political Divide (New Yorker article, or listen to this podcast episode that interviews the author)

Sign up on this page to receive directions to the meeting room location and information on COVID precautions, such as certifying your vaccination or negative test. Hope to see you there!