Climate Courage: How Tackling Climate Change Can Build Community, Transform the Economy, and Bridge the Political Divide in America

by Andreas Karelas, Katharine Hayhoe (Foreword by)

Overview

How Americans can take action in their own communities and unite across the political spectrum in pursuit of solutions to climate change.

Andreas Karelas has a message we don’t often hear: we have all the tools we need to solve the climate crisis and doing so will improve our lives, our economy, and our society.

But to engage people in the climate fight, we need stories that are empowering, inclusive, and solutions-oriented, not based in fear. Karelas digs into the latest data on the rapidly falling costs and increased efficiencies of clean energy technologies compared to fossil fuels, looks at the rate of job creation in the clean energy sector, and introduces the reader to the inspiring work of climate heroes on both sides of the aisle—from Republican mayors and governors to activists, from businesses to faith communities.

Climate Courage shows us how we can move past our collective inaction on climate change and work together in our communities to create a more sustainable, just, clean energy–powered economy that works for everyone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807084885
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	499,428
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Andreas Karelas is the founder and executive director of RE-volv, a nonprofit organization that empowers people around the country to help nonprofits in their communities go solar and raise awareness about the benefits of clean energy. He is a dedicated clean-energy advocate with over 15 years of environmental and renewable energy experience. He is an Audubon TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow and an OpenIDEO Climate Innovator Fellow. He lives and works in San Francisco. Connect with him at re-volv.org and on Twitter at @AndreasKarelas.

Table of Contents

Foreword Katharine Hayhoe ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Reframing the Narrative 1

Chapter 2 The Psychology of Climate Change 11

Chapter 3 Climate Confusion 31

Chapter 4 Conservatives Forging a Path 49

Chapter 5 Jobs, Jobs, Jobs 70

Chapter 6 Faith Communities in Action 89

Chapter 7 Energy Independence 109

Chapter 8 Communities at the Forefront 124

Chapter 9 Gratitude, Simplicity, and Service 156

Chapter 10 Rolling Up Our Sleeves 174

Acknowledgments 186

Notes 188

Index 215

Editorial Reviews

A convincing argument for persuading conservatives to fight climate change.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“In the wake of the pandemic, nothing could help bring us out of this crisis in a more constructive way than working together to prevent the next one. Climate Courage offers a path towards getting back to something much better, and more united, than our old normal.”
—Bill McKibben, cofounder of 350.org and author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

“The clean energy revolution is well underway and Karelas, an innovator in the space, accurately captures the moment we’re in. There has never been a greater time to work for and invest in a more sustainable and equitable world and Climate Courage spells out the opportunity clearly.”
—Jigar Shah, founder of SunEdison, president and cofounder of Generate Capital

“This inspiring book shows how people from different political and social backgrounds have been galvanizing around a common goal to solve climate change. I highly recommend it.”
—Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering, Stanford University

“Climate Courage reframes the narrative on climate change from doom and gloom to opportunity, with a breadth of practical solutions that can appeal to Americans across the political spectrum. This is an excellent summary of how the politics on climate change have evolved and the incredible progress we’re making, highlighting coalitions and initiatives that can inspire others. You can’t read this and not come away with some optimism!”
—Terry Tamminen, former secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and president of 7th Generation Advisors

“We have many of the technical solutions we need to address climate change. Andreas takes on a different question: how do we as a society get to the point where we decide to use them? This book, born of hard experience by a longtime clean energy leader, is an excellent guide to finding our way forward on one of the most important questions we face.”
—Adam Browning, founder and executive director of Vote Solar

“Karelas provides an uplifting and thoroughly researched study on the magnitude of efforts being made to confront the climate crisis. Climate Courage shows that it takes a village to save the planet, and here are so many different examples for how we can do it.”
—Sarah Shanley Hope, founding executive director of the Solutions Project

“Climate Courage is a gem of a book. I have been teaching about climate change for close to three decades. No other book comes close to explaining the challenges we face and, more importantly, the profound opportunities we are being offered in building a clean energy future. Read this book and give it to everyone you know.”
—Paul Wapner, professor of global environmental politics, American University; and author of Is Wildness Over?

“Looking for a journey of optimism among today’s doom-and-gloom headlines about climate change? This book is your tour guide. Thoughtful, well-researched, and thoroughly engaging, Climate Courage offers a real-world road map of hope and inspiration about the future of our planet and ourselves.”
—Clint Wilder, coauthor of The Clean Tech Revolution and Clean Tech Nation

“This inspiring look at how and why solar can and should become a leading source of energy—and the diverse leaders on the frontline of change—is a must read. Karelas is both ethical and practical, and his deep love for people and the planet suffuses every page.”
—Rev. Sally G. Bingham, founder and president emeritus of Interfaith Power and Light and canon for the environment for the Diocese of California

“The 2020s are supposed to be the decisive decade on climate, but until we’re rolling up our sleeves, doing what Andreas describes in vivid detail, we’re all ‘just talking.’ Here’s a book on how to summon up the courage to do, not tell. Read it and you will get the gumption that you need to bridge the divides in America and do the work we need to save ourselves from our own worst impulses. Shine on!”
—Danny Kennedy, cofounder of Sungevity and CEO of New Energy Nexus

From the Publisher

2021-02-11
A green energy advocate promotes environmentalism to conservatives.

In this debut nonfiction book, Karelas makes a case for green energy and environmental protection within a framework that aligns with many conservative values. The volume opens with a pop-psychology–driven argument in favor of approaching climate change with optimism about opportunities for making progress instead of focusing on the bleak future of inaction. The author then moves into a historical look at Republican support for environmental initiatives and points out the faulty logic of climate change denial (“This argument is equivalent to not believing the doctor who says you have a broken arm if it means you have to wear a cast all summer”). Subsequent chapters look at the shift toward clean energy from the perspectives of national security, job creation, faith, and community, with examples of successful programs supported by people and groups with a range of political perspectives, including the nonprofit Karelas runs. The author concludes that a bottom-up approach to adopting clean energy is the most effective (“The only way to ensure that new sustainable ways of living are woven into the fabric of our culture”), making it a good fit for the conservative goal of minimal government intervention. He suggests that if conservatives are approached in an empathetic and emotionally intelligent way, it is almost inevitable that they will agree that embracing clean energy is the smart path forward. Those Karelas dismisses as “liberals from Berkeley with painted faces holding posters with wind turbines on them” may feel that the book’s emphasis on supporting positivity and approaching conservatives on their own terms is incompatible with their own values and methods of fighting climate change. They are clearly not the book’s intended readership. But for the target audience, the volume offers a useful framework for reaching out to potential allies. Concrete examples, like a South Carolina VFW post’s conversion to solar energy and a hotel complex’s willingness to produce its own renewable energy despite high fees charged by the local utility, make a persuasive case for the potential success of the work’s strategies. Specific action items in the book’s later chapters provide helpful guidance for those hoping to convert more conservatives to green energy and environmental reform. While the chapter on the psychology of persuasion can be wearing, with its repeated references to thought leaders like Simon Sinek and Chip and Dan Heath, it contains a number of useful takeaways. The remainder of the volume is thoroughly researched and reported, with solid information, strong writing, and cogent arguments. The case Karelas makes for unity and bipartisanship may be overly optimistic on a macro level—the book assumes all participants are rational actors and does not address the challenges of convincing those whose conservatism includes belief in conspiracy theories. Still, the volume should sway readers that grassroots activity supported by strong community ties provides the most effective path to the widespread adoption of clean energy and other forms of sustainable living.

A convincing argument for persuading conservatives to fight climate change.

Kirkus Reviews