We are closer than ever to eradicating the wild poliovirus, with endemic transmission restricted to a handful of areas in just two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan. Let us all recommit now, and achieve Rotary’s dream of a world free of this debilitating disease. By working together, we can give the world one less infectious disease to worry about once and for all.
1: LEARN
Familiarize yourself with climate solutions and how you can help deploy them.
Check out the 93 technologies and practices that together can stop climate change.
Watch the Drawdown Roadmap, Climate Solutions 101, and Drawdown’s Neighborhood video series for a comprehensive look at how humanity can halt climate disruption through concerted action.
2: DO
Alter your own activities to reduce your personal contribution to climate change.
Apply what you learn to become more climate friendly at home, at work, in your volunteer activities and hobbies, as you travel—in every aspect of your life! The opportunities are endless, and every action matters.
Make your job a climate job. Our Job Functions Action Guides page suggests climate actions for 10 specific job functions and links to additional resources.
Consider the climate impact of your consumer choices, and alter them accordingly.
Check out other suggestions for mobilizing around climate solutions, including those from our partners Drawdown Ecochallenge, Rare, and Don’t Look Up, as well as from Science Moms, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the David Suzuki Foundation.
Do so many options leave you wondering where to start? Check out “What's the best climate action you can take? You tell me.”
3: SHARE
Communicate the opportunity to make a difference with others.
Bring up the subject of climate change with individuals in your various spheres of influence: family, friends, neighbors, fellow faith community members, etc. Do so in a nonthreatening, nonjudgmental way. For example, you might start by mentioning unusual weather you’re having or a disaster in the news, and wondering if it’s related to climate change.
Before you broach the topic, think about what the other person cares about. Tailor your conversation to connect climate change to what’s most important to them—their hobbies, their family, their health, their values.
Listen to their thoughts. Then let them know the climate actions you’re taking and why. Explain how every person has a unique and important role to play in halting climate change. If they would like to learn more, share the link to this page.
Engage with people from all walks of life, not just those who think as you do. Like identity theft or the global economy, climate change affects everyone, not just environmentalists or those of particular political persuasions.
4: ADVOCATE
Urge change makers to go all in on halting climate change.
Think of three people in your sphere of influence who have exceptional impact: lawmakers, CEOs, community leaders, popular artists, social media influencers, journalists, consumer liaisons for brands you buy.
Share with each, in language that resonates with them and what they care about, the importance of stopping climate change—and the evidence we have that it’s possible. If appropriate, start with the five basic facts about climate change: 1) it’s real, 2) It’s us, 3) It’s bad, 4) scientists agree, 5) there’s hope.
Encourage them to check out the Drawdown Roadmap, which details strategies for strategically deploying solutions at the right time and in the right place, reaping multiple benefits, and overcoming barriers.
Point out that climate solutions are not just about climate. They also offer numerous benefits for alleviating poverty, protecting biodiversity, advancing justice, reducing conflict, and more.
Suggest one specific way in which the change maker can exert their influence to contribute to halting climate change.
5: AMPLIFY
Enhance your impact by spreading the word.
Let us know what you’re doing to help stop climate change.
If you have additional resources to suggest or strategies to recommend, please pass them along so we can share with others.