Confronting the Climate Crisis with Margaret Klein Salamon, PhD

“It's up to us to create a system that cancels the apocalypse and protects humanity and all life.”
Margaret Klein Salamon, PhD

In the words of today's guest, "we are in a moment of acute collective suffering."

I couldn't agree more.

From our nation’s current civil rights struggles to a metastasizing global pandemic, the pain is real, exacerbated by acurrent political system that seems hardwired to exacerbate problems, yet rather inept at actually solving them.

Fomenting a collective sense of existential dread is the dark beast of climate change, an accelerating background hum that can leave even the most optimistic among us feeling powerless. Because we are not nearing the edge of a cliff. We have already flung ourselves off.

Hitting the brakes isn't enough. We need to jam the engine into reverse. We need an immediate call to action. We need a 'Manhattan Project' scale approach to reckon with the objective truth of our dire predicament.

Margaret Klein Salamon, PhD is here to guide us. 

A Harvard graduate and self-dubbed “climate psychologist,” Margaret is the founder and executive director of The Climate Mobilization, a volunteer organization dedicated to initiating a transformation of the economy, politics, and society to respond to the climate emergency. She is also the author of  Facing the Climate Emergency: How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth, an emotional guide to processing our impending apocalypse, and the subject of today's exchange.

Recorded remotely in early June, this is a conversation about our emotional response to climate change, and tools for contributing to the positive change required of us.

It's about the intersectionality of the climate crisis--it’s ties to the pandemic as well as the protests.

It’s about the inherent conflict between capitalism and environmentalism--and how we must de-couple corporate self-interest from the public good. 

And it’s about how to deal with weaponized media and the way in which we are being spoon-fed lies by conglomerated industry over-invested in maintaining the status quo.

But more than anything, this is a discourse about effective altruism--and the actionable steps we can take now to backtrack from the global suicide we are nearing.

It's normal to feel disheartened. Action seems futile. And 2020 has maxed out our collective bandwidth when it comes to crises and revolutions. But embracing the truth and finding a way to contribute to positive change is not only mandatory -- it’s a path to hope. To girding your life with more meaning, inclusion and empathy.

This is one of my increasingly rare audio-only podcasts. You can find the is streaming wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Margaret’s ideologies have totally reframed how I perceive, address, and talk about the climate crisis. My hope is that her words offer you a perspective that is honest and hopeful.

But more than anything, my hope is that it inspires you to do something.

Peace + Plants,

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SHOW NOTES

Related Podcasts:

Thanks to Jason Camiolo for production, audio engineering and show notes; Margo Lubin and Blake Curtis for video, editing and graphics; and theme music by Ana Leimma.

*Disclosure: Books and products denoted with an asterisk are hyperlinked to an affiliate program. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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A master-class in personal and professional development, ultra-athlete, wellness evangelist and bestselling author Rich Roll delves deep with the world's brightest and most thought provoking thought leaders to educate, inspire and empower you to unleash your best, most authentic self. More at: https://richroll.com