How to Talk to your Family About Climate Change
Not everyone is blessed with die-hard liberal parents. I have have friends whose parents genuinely don’t understand how people end up homeless, like just get a house? It’s not that hard. Depending on which category your family falls into, issues of sustainability and climate change are likely to incite discussion among your older, more conservative relatives.
When issues of the political variety come up, it’s hard not to bite back at Aunty Sharon when she calls Greta Thunberg annoying, or agrees with Judith Collin’s belief that participating in meat-free Mondays is, in fact, communism. Talking to your relatives about these issues without driving yourself insane is a difficult task but definitely a worthy fight. If we’re going to get out of this shitshow of an environment the human race has got ourselves into, it’s going to be an all hands-on deck situation.
For the purpose of this guide, I will use ‘Sharon’ as our case study. If your name is Sharon, I’m sorry, I’m sure you’re a climate warrior at heart.
1. Make them feel important.
When Sharon brags that she always uses her keep cup when she orders her trim flat white, tell her how great that is! Let her know that by doing that she’s keeping at least 365 single use takeaway cups out of our landfills. Let her know that her contributions matter. Build her up before you go in with the heavy radicalisation tactics. For now, though, avoid bringing up the harmful effects of the dairy industry on the environment, baby steps guys. Ask her if she’s encouraged her friends to make the keep cup switch, then she’ll feel like an environmentalist trend-setter at the office.
2. Find common ground
It’s hard to relate to someone who is 30 years your senior and still shares minion memes on Facebook. Finding common ground - especially when it comes to hard-hitting topics like climate change - is no easy feat. Perhaps try and rope Sharon in by talking about David Attenborough’s new Planet Earth series. Once she’s raving about the cuteness of sea turtles and the soothing nature of Sir Attenborough’s voice, go in with the big guns. Tell her how tragic it will be when he dies, because a bright light of climate change will fizzle out. Everyone loves David Attenborough, regardless of
3. Introduce them to new ideas slowly
Don’t go straight in with ideas like green-washing marketing or consumer guilt tactics. Instead, bring up the things you’ve done. Tell her about the re-fillery near her house, or where the closest community compost is.
4. Don’t exhaust yourself trying to change their mind
Some people will never understand the magnitude of the climate crisis. If you’re going around in circles trying to change your Sharon’s mind and nothing is working, there’s no shame in moving onto something else. Take solace in the fact that the very generations that put us in this mess, will soon not be here to answer for their mistakes. Instead of pulling your hair out trying to recruit Aunty Sharon into your sustainability group, make small, passive aggressive changes to get your point across. Wrap all of her Christmas presents in fabric scraps, buy her a mesh produce bag. Be as preachy as you can without having to actually talk to her.
5. Keep fighting the good fight
As rough as it is to feel like your efforts are being counteracted by people like Sharon, don’t stop fighting for climate justice in your own life just because old people kind of suck.