The universe doesn’t give us what we ask for with our thoughts; it can give us what we demand with our actions.

Buddy often tried to lead us places.

It’s all very well for me to suggest that those who want to slow climate change and protect themselves from its costs and dangers should start thinking about leading a local project. Not just contributing money and words to the big national climate discussion but actually taking leadership in our community.

Leadership? Leading whom?

Most of us look around and don’t see local projects calling out for community leadership. We don’t see potential volunteers or donors or experts listening for our call. How do we find such people?

This week’s example of a local climate initiative provides a few ideas.

The Ohio Creek Watershed project

The idea grew from a realization early this century that the tidal wetlands around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, among the most productive ecosystems in the world, were being lost to flooding at an alarming rate. Not only were their flora and fauna threatened, without those nutrients 90% of Virginia’s fish species could not survive.

This project idea took shape ten years ago, the brainchild of Wetlands Watch, a non-profit trying to preserve wetlands and its denizens. Skip Stiles, the Executive Director of Wetlands Watch, invited a professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to define the problem in Ohio Creek. Along the way it became obvious to everyone that saving the coastline was not only important to nature, it was important to humans nearby. The safety of homes, sewers, roads, and bridges was seriously threatened. At the same time it became increasingly obvious that much of the flooding was not just caused by increased rainfall; it was from - shhh! - sea level rise. These factors naturally expanded the mission of Wetland Watch.

“Back then”, says Stiles,” we couldn’t say climate change or even sea level rise. We had to call it recurrent flooding, and even at that I’d get stone silence at rural service club lunch talks on the challenges we face.” [Skip Stiles]

First, Wetlands Watch interested teachers at Hampton University and Old Dominion University in using the community project as a student design effort. This idea was taken to Virginia Sea Grant, a federal/university educational partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Sea Grant provided the funding for the design process. With some help from local architects and engineering firms, the design became a proposal to the National Disaster Resilience Competition.

The student-based proposal won a $120 million award, and the Ohio Creek Watershed project was completed in 2020. The project includes green infrastructure and nature-based features -1,600 feet of living constructed wetland on the Elizabeth River - plus some harder infrastructure elements like a vegetated berm.

Along the way, the instigators pulled in many groups, like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, local schools, dozens of local organizations, the press, and of course the City of Norfolk. Once it had momentum, there was no lack of people to lead.

Recruiting teammates

If we have the urge to push climate adaption projects in our own community, but don’t see any obvious partners waiting for us, we should look for hidden resources. There may be many. Such as university students with skills, their teachers, non-profits with seed funds, environmental (but not yet climate) groups, neighborhood organizations with fundraising power, people in City Hall eager to help, and state and federal departments like Sea Grant (those that aren’t on the next Administration’s chopping block). We could be surprised at how many people and organizations around us are both right and ripe for the adaptation effort we’re picturing. Or, like Wetlands Watch, who are willing to expand their mission a bit.

And, of course, it’s important to remember to recruit participants in their own language. Remember, many want to help with disaster but not climate! (Need a refresher on avoiding climate-speak? Check ClimateDog’s A New Language.)

The need for this leadership is rising

I can’t imagine telling our grandchildren that we did little to fight climate change. The threats to our future - and our children’s future - are getting worse as we watch!

• As tundra releases more and more methane, the transition of the Arctic from a carbon sink to a carbon source is one of the dramatic changes that are documented in NOAA’s 2024 Arctic Report Card.

• The International International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts the world’s coal use will reach a fresh high this year, and remain at near-record levels for years as a result of a global gas crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

• 2024 is the warmest year on record and the first calendar year above 1.5C, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

• Half of America voted for a federal government which will abandon support for many mitigation and adaptation efforts, just at the time when some of the anticipated Tipping Points (discussed in ClimateDog) are kicking in.

Sitting around waiting for the announcement of another climate protest, for a request to send more dollars to a non-profit, for a petition to sign - that’s basically doing nothing! And a huge percentage of us and our friends are doing exactly that. All while we have the talents and can find the resolution to actually start something climate-smart, effective, local, adaptive, and cooperative.

As we gird ourselves for this climate leadership, we might get inspiration from What was I thinking? another Substack newsletter.

The author summarizes and tries to answer the sorts of questions that most of us have:

How to appeal to a busy and broad audience with a wide spectrum of awareness and interest? How to be frank, holistic and honest, without alienating, overwhelming or completely switching people off? How to cut through the noise and add something of value in a pressurized world of information overload? This is a familiar dilemma for climate-conscious leaders. [Pamela McGill]

I know that some ClimateDog subscribers are already in (or close to) the leadership teams of local climate adaptation projects. ClimateDog would love you to leave a comment directing us to more information and inspiration.

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The title of this newsletter is from speaker and author Steve Maraboli.