National Week of Deliberation Forum #5: Climate Choices

Please join us for the 2023 National Week of Deliberation online deliberative forum using Common Ground for Action (CGA) on Saturday, April 22nd, 2023, at 1:00 pm ET on “Climate Choices: How Should We Meet the Challenges of a Warming Planet” 

The College National Week of Deliberation CGA college forum series connects college students from across the country to discuss and make choices together about today’s most pressing, wicked issues. As more campuses become ideological bubbles, this initiative hopes to give students a space to talk across geographic and ideological divides to see what common ground we have to act on wicked issues.

Overview of Climate Choices: How Should We Meet the Challenges of a Warming Planet”

All around is evidence that the climate is changing. Summers are starting earlier and lasting longer. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. Dry regions are getting drier and wet regions are seeing heavier rains. Record cold and snowfalls blanket some parts of the country, while record fires ravage forests across the West.

In our 90 minute deliberative discussion, we will discuss three options to act:

OPTION 1: Sharply Reduce Carbon Emissions We can no longer rely on piecemeal, voluntary efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The only way to protect ourselves and the planet is to tackle climate change at its source by taking coordinated, aggressive action to reduce the CO2 we put into the atmosphere—enforced by strict laws and regulations, and supported by significant investment.

OPTION 2: Prepare and Protect Our Communities Preparing for and coping with changing conditions must be our top priority. We should work together now to secure our communities and strengthen our resilience in the face of climate-related impacts.

OPTION 3: Accelerate Innovation Across the country and around the world, many private enterprises are already responding to climate change by seeing opportunity. Agricultural biotech companies Monsanto and Syngenta, for example, are poised to profit from newly patented drought-resistant crops. We should do more to support these corporations and efforts.

Check out the issue guide here for more information: https://www.nifi.org/en/issue-guide/climate-choices