If you are looking for some great environmental conversation starters, then look no further! We’ve assembled a list of engaging, open-ended questions to get the discussion rolling. Special thanks to Dr. Erica Nielsen, who came up with many of these questions. Feel free to use any of these or create your own (and if you have any good ideas for this list, please let us know).
Climate conversation questions (in no specific order)
- Do you worry about climate change? Why/why not? What would you like to see done about it?
- Do you think you have ever seen or directly experienced climate change?
- Do you think extreme weather events are getting worse?
- What motivates you to care about the environment?
- What do you think the benefits/dangers of current technology are? Do you think technology is helping or hurting our relationship with nature?
- Do you think humans have a responsibility to protect other living things?
- How do you think we ended up in this climate crisis? What actions do you think led us here and why?
- What is your relationship with nature/the climate? What do you think that relationship will look like in the future?
- Do you think we as humans are part of nature? Or are we in control of nature?
- What emotions come up when you think about humanity’s prospects on Earth?
- What do you think humanity’s future on Earth looks like?
- What’s more important for tackling climate change – individual behavior change or broader policy change? Do we need both?
- Do you feel guilty about doing anything which is bad for the environment? Have others made you feel guilty? Do you think you have made others feel guilty? Do you think guilt is a good motivator?
- Do you think the impacts of climate change are fairly distributed?
- Who do you think should be responsible for addressing the climate crisis?
- What do you think fair and equitable solutions to the climate crisis look like?
- Why do you think some people are more vulnerable to climate change than others?
- How can we address climate change and sustainable development challenges at the same time?
- What systems need to change the most to tackle the climate crisis?
- What do you think your individual role is in taking action against the climate crisis? What changes would you need to make? How can these changes benefit your life?
- As we transition away from fossil fuels and to a clean economy, how can we ensure energy workers and communities are not left behind?
- Many governments around the world pledged to revitalize their economies after the economic downturn from Covid-19 by investing in a clean energy future and taking climate action – how can we push them to deliver on this promise?
- How can we push powerful actors including governments and corporations to take ambitious and immediate climate action?
- Why are personal conversations important to have about climate change and other societal challenges?
- What personal actions have you taken in response to the climate crisis? Which do you find the most difficult and why? What led you to make those changes in your life?
- In addition to individual choices, what actions can we take as communities to fight climate change?
- https://talkclimatechange.org/starters?utm_source=Climate+Generation&utm_campaign=e23579a4b5-CLIMATEGEN_JANUARY-TCT_2025-01-06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4574e77afe-e23579a4b5-260262330