Global Warming: Changing Course
A four-session discussion guide exploring the history and science of global warming, personal values and habits as they relate to climate change, and personal actions to curb the effects of global warming.
In this course, participants will:
- Explore personal values and habits as they relate to climate change.
- Understand the history and science of global warming.
- Empower individuals to take action to curb global warming.
“For if there is to be a livable world for those who come after us, it will be because we have managed to make the transition from the Industrial Growth Society to a Life-Sustaining Society. When people of the future look back at this historical moment…they may well call it the time of the Great Turning.” -Joanna Macy
If you are interested in starting this discussion course in your community, download the Global Warming: Changing Course Course Flyer here.
Topics
Off Course
Communities around the world are experiencing the effects of global warming. This session explores personal responses to climate change and why society has been slow to respond.
Collision Course
To better understand the complexities of global warming, this session breaks down the history and science of global climate change and identifies our participation in this ecological crisis.
Changing Course
Although global warming is a daunting issue, there are accessible and significant actions we can all take. This session explores new strategies for addressing climate change and considers personal action to mitigate the effects of global warming.
Setting a New Course
What will it take to create a sustainable future? Explore our individual and collective power to shape an effective response to climate change, enabling future generations to meet their needs.
Readings
| “Global Warming Twenty Years Later” by Dr. James Hansen “A Storm of Denial” by Paul Rogat Loeb “Global Warming Tipping Point” by Michael Bloch “Global Warming Feedback Loops” by Madeline Ostrander “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” by Daniel Gilbert “How to Be a Climate Hero” by Audrey Schulman “The Right War” by Ban Ki-Moon “Sea Change” by Julia Whitty and Robert Knoth “The Climate Divide” by Andrew C. Revkin “Global Warming Hastens Spring’s Arrival” by Seth Borenstein “Breaking the Boundaries of Life” by Gary Braasch “Facing a Threat to Farming and Food Supply” by Rick Weiss Excerpt from “The Climate of Man III” by Elizabeth Kolbert “Why Bother?” by Michael Pollan |
“Is Local Always Better?” by Tess Taylor “My Low-Carbon Diet” by Seth Zuckerman “Are We Ready to Track Carbon Footprints?” by John Tierney “Brother, can you spare a carbon credit?” by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow “Where Have All the Joiners Gone?” by Bill McKibben “Beating the Heat” by Matt Sutkoski Excerpt from Soul of a Citizen by Paul Rogat Loeb “Mayors Stand Up” by Madeline Ostrander “The Green-Collar Solution” by Thomas L. Friedman “This postman always thinks green” by Max Christern “The Politics of Limits” by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger Excerpt from Al Gore’s Nobel Lecture |
