This everyday job can activate climate behaviour

What if one of the most powerful climate solutions isn’t technology—but conversation?

💇‍♀️ Good news: Hairdressers may be some of the most effective climate communicators we’ve been overlooking. A U.K. study shows that when salons spark climate conversations, nearly 73% of clients say they’d adopt more eco-friendly habits.

⚠️ Not so good news: War doesn’t only devastate lives - it also drives massive emissions. A Climate and Community Institute analysis shows the first two weeks of the Iran conflict alone released about 5 million tonnes of carbon pollution. Rebuilding the damage will add even more.

🌱 What you can do: While negative news spreads faster, it’s positive, actionable stories that actually motivate us to act. Follow at least one source that shares climate solutions this week and share what you learn, on or offline.

Find the walkability map here.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to Talking Climate with Catherine Hangho. Each episode, we explore how climate change is affecting the people, places, and things we love, and what we can do to make a difference. From science to solutions and stories that inspire, you're in the right place for real talk about real change. Last week, I shared how cities around the world are redesigning streets for people instead of cars, and why walkable communities are better for our health, our air, and our connection to each other. But did you know that you can actually measure how walkable your own community is? Geographer and talking climate reader Joseph Kersky sent me a crowdsourced map and survey where anyone can rate their neighborhood, upload photos, and contribute to a growing global data set. This useful tool offers a simple but powerful way to see your surroundings through a new lens and help build a bigger picture of what walkability looks like around the world. Check the link in the show notes to participate. This week, we're talking about hairdressers, inspiring climate convos, war supercharging emissions, and more positive content creators to follow. Let's dive in. Good news. You know that one of the best things you can do about climate change is talk about it. Back in Talking Climate's first year, I shared the story of hairdresser Paloma Rose Garcia, who invited two local climate scientists to teach classes on climate change to fellow hairdressers in Sydney, Australia. Then last year, I was encouraged to see the program spreading. Brush with Climate reached Ireland, where a new initiative at University College Cork is implementing it in four towns across the country. Now, a new UK study confirms that this effort has been showing all along. Hairdressers are uniquely positioned to be effective climate messengers. They build trust with their clients over months and years, creating natural opportunities to weave climate and sustainability into regular conversations. The opportunity is there, but so far it's barely been tapped. When it comes to climate messengers, we're used to thinking of people in the public eye, such as celebrities as influencers, said Dr. Brioney Ladder, one of the authors based at Cardiff University. But what about the people you actually talk to on a regular basis, who know you and who you trust with your appearance and sometimes more personal aspects of your life? Hairdressers have an untapped ability to weave climate change into everyday conversations and actions. For the UK study, researchers ran a program called Mirror Talkers at 25 salons where conversation starters were placed on salon mirrors to spark conversations. Almost 73% of clients who participated in conversations prompted by the mirror talkers intervention said they would adopt more ego-friendly habits. Hairdressers are everyday influencers. Not so good news. War is horrible for myriad reasons. Above all, its toll on human life. One often overlooked impact, though, is that modern warfare is incredibly carbon intensive. The first two weeks of the Iran War have released some 5 million tons of carbon pollution. That's more than the nation of Iceland emits in an entire year, according to the Climate and Community Institute. To calculate the carbon costs of the Iran War, the researchers looked at direct tailpipe emissions, indirect supply chain emissions, and conflict emissions, including destroyed equipment, missiles and drones used, destroyed fuel in storage and oil tankers, fuel used in combat operations, and destroyed civilian infrastructure. And the cost of rebuilding infrastructure damaged by warfare is even more carbon-intensive than the war itself, the analysts found. That's not even included here yet. This is true of other recent conflicts too. The Gaza war has resulted in more than 33 million tons of carbon emissions, one analysis found. Another assessment conducted by the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War found the first three years of Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine created 237 million tons of carbon pollution, equivalent to the annual emissions of Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia combined, causing over 43 billion in damage. And war, of course, makes existing environmental problems harder to address and climate goals harder to hit. In a nutshell, no matter who wins, we all lose. What you can do. When I first started this newsletter in April 2022, there were hardly any news sources that focused on good news other than upworthy. But now, there are a lot of places dedicated to sharing uplifting stories of positive solutions and people making a difference, both about climate and in general. This is so important because behavioral science research finds that although doom and gloom messaging is highly effective for stimulating climate change information sharing, like posting on the internet or social media where negativity reigns, it is the absolute worst for motivating action, and among the worst for changing climate change beliefs or support for climate change policies. So where can you find these stories? Here are a few places to start. Your to-do this week is to choose at least one of them and follow their content so you have even more regular positive input to help you build efficacy and create hope. Positive News offers solutions-focused reporting, both online and with a quarterly print magazine. Recent stories include one about a British company aiming to turn energy from foot traffic into electricity, another about teens working together to stop child marriage in Bangladesh, and one about micro-grid solar power coming to England. The anti-Doom initiative from Crooked Ideas highlights the projects already moving towards solving the climate crisis and those in the pipeline that we need to get over the finish line. Like one about the world's largest wildlife crossing, which happens to be in LA, California. On Instagram, you can also find Future Earth, which shares a roundup of good news stories every Tuesday. Elena Wood, aka The Garbage Queen, and the Good Climate News Lady, who shares uplifting videos and news stories from around the world, all while calling for climate action. And Sam Bentley, who narrates videos about good news from around the world every week. For more resources, links, and actions you can take, check out the full newsletter at www.talkingclimate.ca. Until next time, keep talking climate.