Acting Local
It is easy to become focused on headlines and events around the world, the climate-crisis is a global issue after all. The trouble is that our ability to create change through individual action tends to diminish over geographical distance. Though news headlines frequently cite news at the highest levels of power, the ability to influence a Prime Minister or President are very limited. That is not to say we should not be concerned for distant peoples and problems, but we typically have the most power within our local community. Here we can more easily utilize existing relationships with friends and family to organize and change opinions.
When it comes to acting locally, we are also able to more easily observe change in our community and are more likely to develop relationships that will give you the emotional energy to continue doing the work.
Focus has been placed on individual consumption choices, also called green consumerism. While our consumption choices certainly matter and using fewer plastic straws creates less waste, it is important for us to also contribute through other levels of organization. In A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety (2020), Sarah Ray encourages us to map out spheres of influence and leverage points where a small shift can create a large change. Examples include personal, family, community, campus, society, cultural and global.
To map out these spheres as they apply to you, start with the most local. Create a list of family and close friends. Then consider acquaintances and members of groups and communities that you belong to (church, hobby, discord channel, class, etc.). These groups are typically the easiest to influence as prior relationships or having the benefit of friends in common mean that they are more likely to hear your perspective.
“When you begin to see all the people with whom you have reciprocal relationships, and all the potential points of intervention in the systems in which you function daily, you can recognize the ways that you already have a significant amount of power” (Ray, p. 57)
In mapping out the spheres, try to find a community or group to join in your local area already working on an issue you care about. Cultivating Hope provides details on the benefits of selecting a problem to prioritize, such as climate refugees, plastics, air pollution, etc.
Once you have found a group and/or issue, it is important to explore what sort of activism you would like to do.