Every little bit helps.
That is one of the key messages from our conversations on public health, climate change and hope with climate journalists Sammy Roth and Caleigh Wells.
Each visited California State University Los Angeles as part of our Department of Public Health’s annual book read. All faculty and students in the department received a copy of The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg. Then we hosted a series of discussions with prominent environmental experts.
Sammy is a Los Angeles Times climate columnist and host of the Boiling Point Newsletter. Caleigh is a KCRW reporter who covers the environment, climate, and public health. Caleigh is also the co-host of the Anti-Dread Climate Podcast that tackles pressing climate questions and provides practical solutions in a judgment-free space. 
We invited these well-regarded journalists to hear their thoughts on what public health can do to help with climate change, and how to maintain hope in this battle. In this post, we share our main takeaways from these conversations. You can view our full conversations with Sammy Roth and Caleigh Wells online.
Leading by example is contagious
Small actions, like carrying your own reusable shopping bags, can gain traction when people see and decide to follow suit. This is one example of the contagious trends that Caleigh says are helping us to reach important behavioral tipping points. Certainly not everyone brings a reusable bag to a grocery store today, but that behavior it is now normalized in many communities.
She described research suggesting that just 17% percent of us need to engage in an environmental action to normalize it. When it is normalized, it can lead to much wider-spread adoption. It’s a small percentage and an attainable one. It goes against the public discourse that the fight against climate change is all-or-nothing. Caleigh emphasized that any action to help the environment can be impactful if we understand why leading by example matters. 
Sammy shared this sentiment. He too emphasized that every little bit helps. By fostering meaningful conversations about climate, he hopes to prompt individual lifestyle changes. But he also wants the conversations to encourage readers to engage with their elected officials to make larger environmental changes. Similarly, Caleigh recalled a conversation with California Senator Ben Allen, who explained that the most impactful forms of climate action happen when constituents contact their elected officials.
Both Sammy and Caleigh addressed the widespread feelings of anxiety, dread, and depression associated with moving the climate change mountain. These feelings can paralyze us into climate inaction. However, both journalists emphasized the importance of each person finding that small, feasible action they can take, and going for it with consistency and gusto. Again, the idea that every little bit helps can be motivating.
Helpful analogies in the climate dialogue
Public health professionals know that it is difficult to change public behavior. But past success stories give us hope. Public health has, for example, successfully worked to normalize childhood vaccination and de-normalize smoking in many venues. And it has recently helped make menu nutrition labeling the norm. 
However, climate change feels more daunting. One person’s trip on a bus feels easily thwarted by another person’s trip in a gas-guzzling SUV. What each person might do individually feels minuscule compared to the actions (or inactions) of institutions, states and nations. And those feelings are not wrong.
Caleigh reminded us that if nobody voted because they thought their single vote did not matter, democracy would suffer. She used a hamburger analogy to further convey this dilemma. We all know we should eat less meat. But if everybody refrained from a meatless meal because they felt their one burger choice would not matter, we would not make any dent in farm-associated greenhouse gas emissions.
These analogies helped drive home the point that every little bit helps. It all adds up. We might not each be able to tackle the colossal mountain that is climate, but the sum total of the world’s individual actions can help “shovel” the proverbial dirt required to move that mountain.
From individual action to collective action
Sammy built on this by stressing the importance of collective effort. He explained that while individual actions are crucial, every nation, state, and community needs to be involved. Community level actions such as increasing public transportation, expanding renewable energy, and advocating for other environmental policies are essential.
While mitigating climate change requires all of us, we do not each have to play every role. We do not need to be part of a delegation or a governmental organization to contribute. We can support others to do this work; we can join or donate to environmental advocacy and activist organizations like the Sunrise Movement or Third Act. We can also join or support political organizations to work to help elect the right people. 
Sammy noted that as we approach internationally set thresholds for climate change, we should not lose hope. He explained that even the slightest reduction in emissions counts, and any amount of climate change that we can prevent is meaningful. Achieving a small decrease below the international 2° celsius target is significantly better than exceeding it.
We also have to be aware of biases that can stifle our progress. For example, when wealthier groups resist changes to protect their own communities, poorer neighborhoods often bear the brunt of environmental hazards. As we work to fight climate change, we must set aside prejudices and foster a diverse, inclusive environment that promotes environmental justice for all.
Inaction as a strategy for change
Caleigh’s burger analogy also emphasized one of the easiest forms of climate activism that we can also take today: not doing anything. That is, choosing not to participate in small everyday actions that increase our impact on climate.
The easiest climate actions are, arguably, the ones we choose not to do. We can choose not to accept single-use plastic bags that create landfill waste. We can choose not to drive when it is easy to walk. And we can choose not to take some flights that increase our carbon footprint. Of course, these are actions that we might have grown accustomed to. But there is no cost to implement them, and most will save us money.
There are many alternatives. For instance, Caleigh described the value of using “Buy Nothing” groups to reduce consumption. We can reuse, regift, and trade items instead of shopping at fast-fashion stores like Zara for cheap garments that won’t last very long. And if you must buy, companies like Patagonia–where profits are now directed to environmental protection–have even started offering options to buy used items.
We could also benefit from this “inaction” strategy at a governmental level. Caleigh discussed rewilding, or ecologically restoring lands to minimize human influence. And she mentioned that strategy is being considered with the Los Angeles River, which is predominantly a concrete channel to prevent flooding. Caleigh described that many harmful climate choices can’t be undone, but we can avoid repeating the same mistakes that led us to where we are now.
The climate series continues
This series on climate change, public health and hope will continue with a conversation with mark! Lopez of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice.
If you want to read more about why The Medical Care Blog is focusing on climate this year, check out its consensus statement on climate.
You can also read more about Cal State LA’s department-wide book-read events focused on public health leadership from last year.
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