An Ode to Joy, in Climate Action

Climate change is often unrelentingly grim. But some activists argue that joyful climate action can change minds. Reporting on climate change isnt exactly uplifting. After all, the climate crisis is one of the scariest existential issues of our time. But there I was at a recent soccer game in Burlington, to see a team called the Vermont Green, in the middle of an ebullient scene that showed that climate awareness could actually be really fun. Kids squirted one another with water at the stadiums water-bottle refill station, learned about local environmental causes at nearby information tables and raced about in team jerseys made of recycled fabric and T-shirts reading Climate Action Now. The Vermont Green has a mission of promoting environmental justice and climate action, and for our series, which highlights an environmental success story in every state. For our latest batch of articles, from Alabama who consistently goes viral by enthusiastically championing biodiversity and native plants. The notion that joy is integral to fomenting action or shifting behavior isnt a new one, but its one that, on its face, seems intensely at odds with the grim reality of climate change. Several Vermont Green fans told me that finding joy was essential to climate action because it helped build resilience. Weve been doing climate work for a long time, and finger-wagging and guilting and shaming really doesnt work, said Celina Barton, a Vermont Green fan and grass-roots environmental organizer who also works to decarbonize buildings and homes. When you bring together people in these team-oriented, joyful kinds of gatherings, I find we make a lot more headway in shifting human behavior. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and your Times account, or for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? . Want all of The Times? .