Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jon Copans, the director of the Climate Economy Model Communities Program at the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
[I]n the face of a barrage of discouraging news about climate change and its impacts, unleashing the power of collective action is a key strategy and an antidote to our growing worry.
According to data published over the summer, 62 percent of Vermonters are worried about global warming, and 75 percent believe it will harm future generations. An October report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed that global temperatures are moving towards a catastrophic 3 degrees C rise during this century. The study concludes that rapid and unprecedented global actions are necessary to contain temperature increases to 1.5 degrees C. Recent reports also indicate that, after a plateau, carbon emissions are back on the rise both globally and here in Vermont. Given this news and the alarming increase in extreme weather events around the world, a high level of collective angst is a reasonable response.
VOX journalist David Roberts recently wrote a stark analysis of the urgent threat that climate change presents and why there is room for optimism in the face of this daunting challenge. Roberts articulates a key ingredient for maintaining hope – fellowship. As he says, “People can face even overwhelming odds with good spirits if they feel part of a community dedicated to a common purpose. What’s terrible is not facing great threat and long odds — what’s terrible is facing them alone.”
The Climate Economy Model Communities Program at the Vermont Council on Rural Development facilitates community conversations that bring citizens together to identify climate-related action ideas, focus in on a few priorities, and work with partners to put them into practice. As director of the program, I have the privilege of spending time in great towns working with Vermonters who have a deep dedication to their communities and a belief in their collective power to bring about change. I get to witness firsthand the results that dedicated local groups bring about, and the hope and togetherness that they engender by working as a team towards effective action.
For Vermonters rightfully concerned about climate change and wondering what to do, my encouragement is to find like-minded citizens in your neighborhood, at your workplace, or in your town and rally together to bring about change. Your efforts will have real and positive impacts, will help build stronger and more prosperous communities and may even serve as an antidote to the persistent worry that many of us feel in the face of daunting news.
Fortunately, in Vermont there are great ways to find others locally to work together with. The Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network hosted by the Vermont Natural Resources Council includes nearly 100 town energy committees all working together to bring about change. Visit their website to find an existing committee or to learn how to start your own. Efficiency Vermont is a great partner to local communities – most recently through their highly successful Button-Up Campaign. VITAL Communities, serving towns in the Upper Valley both in Vermont and New Hampshire, has tremendous expertise in community-based local foods, energy and transportation action. And here at Vermont Council on Rural Development, we are recruiting two new towns interested in cultivating a strong local economy through climate action for 2019 by participating in the Model Communities Program.
With nearly two-thirds of fellow Vermonters sharing concern about climate change and its implications for our future, we don’t have to grapple with this alone. By turning our concern into collective action, we foster hope by making our communities stronger and doing our part to help implement urgent and strategic change. The answers to climate change are myriad, but we know they will center on seizing new economic opportunities, entrepreneurship, and collective community action.
Applications for 2019 Model Communities efforts are due Jan. 18. Go to https://www.vtrural.org/model-communities for information.
