Talking climate change in rural areas

This is from a new progressive newsletter that focuses on issues out in the country.

Walton: One of the women you feature, Idaho’s Jennifer Ladino, notes that the very words “climate change” can themselves be a “trigger phrase” among some people in conservative, rural areas. How can effective action arise in communities that aren’t willing to acknowledge the underlying cause of crises like extreme weather?

McDuff: There are communities where you can’t name the problem. But economically, perpetuating a fossil fuel-dependent economy is not viable for rural communities. It’s just not, and it’s also not healthy. Whether we say the phrase “climate change” or not, the reality is that renewables are going to overtake fossil fuels.

And farmers aren’t standing around. They want to be able to grow crops in increasingly unstable weather patterns. So whether we’re saying the phrase “climate change” or not, communities are going to have to respond. - Barn Raiser