Facing a Cloud of Climate Uncertainty - a Five-Minute Check-In

I recently came across a 50-page climate guide called “The Psychology of Decision Making under Uncertainty”). Just that phrase “under uncertainty” helped me realize how the unpredictability of climate changes often feels like a dark cloud.

To reduce all this uncertainty in choosing climate actions, my last blog focused on taking clearly separated steps, one at a time. For that first step, I suggest starting with yourself. You have more information about yourself than you currently have about the whole ocean of climate actions you could take. Taking a personal inventory of your current situation can give you bit more certainty about what you bring to the decision-making table.

  From my work as a creativity coach, I’ve found that such an inventory starts well with questions about where you want to get to. But if you’re not an artist with some shimmering vision of what you want to create, a useful shortcut is to ask yourself the more direct question of WHY? WHY do I want to do more about climate change?

Five Minutes or Less

When you’re ready, turn away from all your devices and other sources of what other people think.

Have paper and pencil at hand’s reach.

Sit quietly for a minute and let your attention circle back to your breathing, just as it is.

Follow three or four breaths with your attention and then notice if you close your eyes or not.

Now ask yourself the question WHY am I interested in climate change. You might ask it out loud or write it down. You might reword it spontaneously as some do with WHY am I interested in climate change NOW?

Then let your attention wander, notice the seemingly random thoughts and images that arise.

Hold the pencil in your non-writing hand.

When something arises that makes you curious, switch the pencil to your writing hand to jot it down. Wait for three more things to jot down even though some are barely sketchy hints.

If more thoughts come about actual climate actions, jot those as well, but for now let the WHY question just keep circling, gathering more hints about what’s motivating your climate interest.

* * *

Okay. That’s it.

You now have a seed planted of at least a vague vision of what you want. In the next week or so, do what works for you to encourage that seed. It might be talking to someone you trust about it, making more notes, or catching hints that come by in your daily life. Keep an eye on any nighttime dreams as well to help you welcome a fuller understand of “Why do I care?”             

It takes time for seeds to set down roots and be ready to sprout forth into visible growth. This is a way of working from the inside out rather than wrestling with the whole flood of possible actions. It is taking personal time to settle more deeply into where you’re starting from, your story and life, before heading out to explore our shared and media-saturated universe of options. All those uncertainties that hover like a cloud.

#climatechangechoices

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