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How to turn climate anxiety into action (with Luisa Neubauer) (re-release) - How to Be a Better Human | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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How to turn climate anxiety into action (with Luisa Neubauer) (re-release)

How to Be a Better Human

Mon Jan 20 2025

Summary

Summary of "How to Turn Climate Anxiety into Action (with Luisa Neubauer)"

Podcast Title: How to Be a Better Human
Host: Chris Duffy
Guest: Luisa Neubauer
Release Date: January 20, 2025

Introduction

In this compelling episode of How to Be a Better Human, host Chris Duffy revisits a crucial conversation with Luisa Neubauer, a prominent German climate activist and a key figure behind the global movement Fridays for Future. Originally recorded in 2020, this episode gains renewed significance against the backdrop of recent catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles, highlighting the urgent need for systemic change in addressing climate crises.

Host's Personal Context

Chris Duffy opens the episode by sharing his personal experience with the devastating fires in Los Angeles, emphasizing the unpredictable and destructive power of nature exacerbated by climate change. Recording his thoughts from a temporary Airbnb shelter, Duffy reflects on the dual feelings of gratitude for his safety and sorrow for those who lost their homes. This personal narrative sets the stage for a deeper exploration of climate activism's role in mitigating such disasters.

Introduction to Guest: Luisa Neubauer

Luisa Neubauer, renowned for her instrumental role in catalyzing the Fridays for Future movement, joins Duffy to discuss transforming climate anxiety into actionable steps. Neubauer's emphasis on systemic change rather than individual responsibility forms the cornerstone of their conversation.

Key Themes Discussed

1. Shifting Focus from Individuals to Systemic Change

Neubauer challenges the conventional narrative that places the onus of combating climate change solely on individual actions. She argues for a broader approach that targets systemic issues, such as corporate malpractices and governmental policies.

Neubauer [02:06]: "A climate activist can be everyone... All of you here, you are either a friend or family member... Power is not something that you either have or don't have. Power is something you either take or leave to others."

This perspective underscores the importance of collective action and systemic reforms over merely adjusting personal habits.

2. Personal Journey to Activism

When asked about her turning point towards activism, Neubauer shares her realization that systemic inertia would not yield the necessary changes without active participation.

Neubauer [09:24]: "The real question is like, if we're in a crisis, but nobody is acting like we're in a crisis, who is going to make this change that we need? ... I will just do this now."

Her candid admission highlights the internal struggle and eventual commitment required to spearhead meaningful change.

3. The Role of Collective Power

Neubauer emphasizes the potency of collective action in driving systemic change. She draws parallels between individual efforts and large-scale movements, illustrating how mass participation can amplify the demand for policy reforms.

Neubauer [17:12]: "It should give you energy to actually then fight for a ban of plastic in your town or the extension of the infrastructure for cycling lanes..."

This sentiment reflects the belief that collective endeavors can overcome the limitations of individual actions.

4. Coping with Climate Anxiety

Addressing the prevalent issue of climate anxiety, Neubauer introduces the concept of possibilism—a proactive approach that focuses on what is possible rather than passively hoping for positive outcomes.

Neubauer [25:17]: "Possibilists see what is possible. But we understand that we need to fight for the possible and that we need to make things possible in order for them to become possible."

This framework encourages active engagement and resilience in the face of overwhelming challenges.

5. Impact of COVID-19 on Climate Activism

The pandemic necessitated a shift from traditional mass marches to digital campaigning, demonstrating adaptability in activism strategies.

Neubauer [23:05]: "We moved to the Internet a lot. We did lots of digital campaigning. We did lots of... organizational work."

This transition highlights the resilience of the movement and the importance of leveraging digital platforms to maintain momentum during crises.

6. Inclusivity in the Movement

Neubauer celebrates the global and intergenerational diversity within the climate movement, acknowledging the contributions from various regions and demographics.

Neubauer [28:56]: "I think I'm so surprised and so overwhelmed in a positive way by what is happening in many parts in Asia right now... Even in places like Russia and China, where you would kind of think that demonstrations wouldn't be, you know, very possible."

This inclusivity broadens the movement's impact and underscores the universal nature of climate concerns.

Practical Steps for Becoming a Climate Activist

Neubauer offers actionable advice for listeners aspiring to contribute to climate activism:

Self-Reflection:
Evaluate personal feelings and motivations regarding the climate crisis.
Engage with Familiar Communities:
Start within local communities or with friends and family to build a support system.
Take the First Step:
Join existing organizations or movements, such as Fridays for Future, to participate actively.

Neubauer [31:56]: "Take that as an example of how much of a difference you can make as an individual person if you just turn up."

These steps emphasize accessibility and the significant impact of individual participation within collective efforts.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Duffy expressing profound gratitude for Neubauer's insights, reinforcing the episode's central message: transforming climate anxiety into actionable, collective efforts is essential for meaningful change. Listeners are encouraged to explore Neubauer's podcast, 1.5 Degrees, for further engagement.

Notable Quotes

Luisa Neubauer [02:06]: "Power is not something that you either have or don't have. Power is something you either take or leave to others."
Luisa Neubauer [09:24]: "There is no government in the world... that has a reasonable plan to fight for 1.5 degrees."
Luisa Neubauer [25:17]: "Possibilists see what is possible... we make them happen."

For more insights on becoming a better human and fostering positive change, visit ideas.ted.com.

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Transcript

Chris Duffy (0:00)

You are listening to how to Be a Better Human. I'm your host, Chris Duffy, and last week we aired our first episode of season five of the show. But in the time since we taped that episode, the city where I live, Los Angeles, has suffered multiple devastating fires. It's a crisis that is ongoing as I'm recording this. And in fact, if my audio sounds a little different than it normally does, it's because I'm recording this from outside the city in an Airbnb while we figure out if it is safe to return. Right now I'm sitting in a little blanket fort that I made, but it's a very surreal feeling because I'm both so grateful and I feel so lucky that my family and everyone who works on this show is safe and that we haven't lost our homes. But also knowing at the same time that so many people have, the scale of the destruction is just almost impossible to wrap my head around. You know, it's still unclear what caused these fires here in Los Angeles and what forces made them as destructive as they've been. But as I'm recording this, I feel very acutely the power and the unpredictability of Mother Nature. And across the globe, shifting climate patterns and extreme weather events are only making the world even more unpredictable. Which is why I feel like this episode that we're going to play today, an episode from the very first season of how to Be a Better Human, actually makes a lot of sense to re air this week. This episode is a conversation with Louisa Neubauer, who's a young German woman who helped catalyze a global intergenerational movement called Fridays for Future and Fridays for Future demanded action on climate change. And we originally recorded this conversation back in 2020, but I have thought about it many times since then. I feel like it's only gotten more relevant. And one thing that I keep coming back to when I think about Louisa is how relentless she is about making sure that everyone sees how this movement affects them personally. And another thing that I come back to a lot is the way that she focuses so much on systems rather than individuals. She's so much more interested in big systemic change than on shaming individuals for their day to day actions. And here's what Louisa had to say about that in her 2019 TEDx talk.

Louisa Neubauer (2:06)

We need to drastically reframe our understanding of a climate activist. Our understanding of who can be the answer to this. A climate activist isn't that one person that has read every single study and is now spending every afternoon handing out leaflets about vegetarianism and chopping horse. No. A climate activist can be everyone. Everyone who wants to join a movement of those who intend to grow old on a planet that prioritizes protection of natural environments and happiness and health for the many over the destruction of the climate and the wrecking of the planet for the profits of the few. I need you to get out of that zone of convenience, away from a business as usual that has no tomorrow. All of you here, you are either a friend or family member. You are a worker, a colleague, a student, a teacher, or in many cases, a voter. All of this comes along with a responsibility that this crisis requires you to grow up to. Leaving that zone of convenience works best when you join forces. One person asking for inconvenient change is mostly inconvenient. 2, 5, 10, 100. People asking for inconvenient change are hard to ignore. The more you are, the harder it gets for people to justify a system that has no future. Power is not something that you either have or don't have. Power is something you either take or leave to others. And it grows once you share it. And this is probably the most important aspect of all of this. I need you to start taking yourselves more seriously. If there's one thing I've learned during seven months of organizing climate action is that if you don't go for something, chances are high that no one else will.

Bombas Ad (9:51)

No, it's actually, I think it's not a turning point, but it's a turning process we're talking about. And in this process One aspect of this process is definitely its knowledge about what's going on. So many people do understand that there's a climate crisis, but that's not enough because, you know, we know about many things that go kind of wrong in the world and yet we don't really feel like it's our, you know, our place to fight that and to change that. So there's a second aspect to that and it's, it's, it has to do with understanding how bad it is. So being able to differ between a crisis that we live through and that we just, that just occurs in politics and the climate crisis, which is much more of a fundamental crisis we are in, you know, understanding how bad it is really what the status we are and how many species are dying every day, how, how dangerous this is getting for us. Understanding it's not a climate crisis, it's a crisis of humanity. You know, the climate will be fine eventually, just a question of how much human will be in there still. And one other really important aspect to this turning process is understanding there's no plan to change that. You know, we are in a man made crisis and yet we act like we can't change it, like humanity cannot change it anymore, which obviously paradox, which doesn't add up. We can't accept a crisis as man made, as human made at the same time as we deny our human ability to turn it around. But that's effectively what we're doing right now. And I think eventually, however, we need to in this process. The moment that I changed my way of thinking about the climate crisis is when I understood that nobody else will do this for us, that it is up to us effectively. There is no government in the world, or at least very, very few governments in the world that have a reasonable plan to fight for 1.5 degrees, like to limit global warming to 1.5. So the real question is like, if we're in a crisis, but nobody is acting like we're in a crisis, who is going to make this change that we need? And that is the point where I was like, okay, you know what? I never wanted to become a climate activist. And I don't feel like I'm the right person for that. But you know, considering that obviously people are needed, everyone is needed, I'm needed to, and I will just do this now. And that is what changed it for me.

Bombas Ad (28:56)

Possibly the most important story of Fridays for Future is that the climate crisis is in fact, not a crisis of the climate, but of the people and those at the front lines mostly, and the young generation, the children, the young people. And it's really easy to ignore the iceberg on the Arctic, which is melting, and it's really easy to ignore the forests that are currently burning, but it's kind of impossible to ignore the future of your own child or your grandchild. And that is what opened up this whole potential of intergenerational change making. So I don't think there is someone missing, Otto, but I think obviously there's so much more potential of people getting engaged with this and understanding that it's now the time to get involved. And if you ask this question about who's missing from the strikes on a geographical sense, obviously there are loads of parts of the world where climate activism is much more edgy than Indonesia, where it's really a mainstream thing to do. Well, I'm actually so maybe starting from the other side. I think I'm so surprised and so overwhelmed in a positive way by what is happening in many parts in Asia right now. So there's so much mobilizing and organizing going on in Southeast Asia, lots in South America, in many, many African countries. That is incredible. And even in places like Russia and China, where you would kind of think that demonstrations wouldn't be, you know, very possible, they still do it and they get into trouble and they do it because I think, okay, we need to do this. It is obviously, I think many people around the world are how Would you say irritated, I think, a bit, by the role of the US in the climate arena because, you know, there is so much climate crisis going on in that country. That's, you know, oftentimes when I talk about the climate crisis happening here now, I refer to us, America. And, you know, people see the flames in California and the floods and Louisiana and so on. So that is. And it's interesting how people, you know, experience those extremes and then don't organize in a way I would expect them to organize, I think, effectively. It just shows that we are really, you know, that we're very able to ignore a reality, even if it's just in front of our eyes, if we don't like it. So that's. I think, maybe.

Bombas Ad (31:56)

So, oftentimes, I think it helps a lot when you talk about your reasons and your motivation to, you know, to be concerned about the climate with people that, you know, that you. Your friends, your family or so on. And you, you know, you use that situation to brainstorm about what you want to do. What, what would you like to change? Where do you think you belong in that sense? And I think it's something that makes it much easier for people to kind of get engaged is to go somewhere where they're somewhat familiar. Is it your local community where you know people already or you bring a friend or you work around something that you're really, you know, you're already, like, really excited about. I first got involved with divestment because I read about it and I found a really interesting idea to divest from fossil fuels. So I started with a divestment group in the town where I studied back then. And that was amazing because I knew the concept. So I was, you know, there was some familiar aspect to that. But the first step is, you know, I think the most important thing to us, the first step, and that is you ask yourself very honestly, how do I feel about this? And many people, when they are really, you know, allowing themselves to answer this honestly, they are concerned about the climate crisis and they are concerned about their own future or the future of their children. We feel that we have that in us. In that next step. You can ask yourself very honestly, okay, am I doing everything I can or am I doing anything I can to change situation? And we are having this discussion right now because many people around the world have made this, have asked this question, and they have made the decision that they want to make a change. That is Friday for future. That is how Friday Future happened. And so take that as a example of how much of a difference you can make as an individual person if you just turn up. And that's the third thing, you know, leave your comfort zone and turn up. Whether it's an organization that already exists or one that you found, whether it's a ecological party or a institution that you think does good work, you know, get out of the status quo and turn up. It's just 80% of things, good things that's happening are just about showing up.