20 Questions About Climate Change - How can climate change help us to think like a community?

Climate change offers a chance for us to move toward a more communal way of thinking. It takes us away from ourselves and forces us to consider future generations. As activist Bill McKibben says, "the most important thing an individual can do right now is not be such an individual."

The funny part about that core shift in our thinking is recognizing that the Earth is the foundation of our survival, and that "saving it" is really about saving us. It takes courage to throw away old ideas though, and to accept a reality that doesn’t match what we want. And while we rarely control the landscape of a crisis, we can control how we behave within it. We need look no further than our local tribes for inspiration.

Termaine Edmo of the Blackfeet Nation, speaking from Browning, shared the power of traditional ecological knowledge, highlighting the spirit of reciprocity and taking the lead "from the land itself, on how to sustain it." The Blackfeet Nation models this wisdom through a variety of measures, like using natural snow fencing to increase water retention, mimicking beaver dams, adjusting grazing techniques to foster regeneration, and conducting prescribed burns — at the right places and timing — to decrease noxious weeds.

Edmo describes how we, as humans, can "learn from the buffalo," who teach respect and the necessary reflection of our actions on the land. She speaks to the humility in accepting that humans are not the center of the universe, that we share this place with plants and animals who know better how to live in balance.

Chris La Tray, a Métis storyteller who recently visited Choteau, reinforced this concept, referring to a symbolic crossroad from Anishinaabe cultural view between a path of destruction and "a new people living in harmony, which requires relearning."

He said that we "know we can get along. We just have to decide that we want to." He called on recognition for what is similar between us, our shared humanity, presenting a picture of early people, 30,000 years ago, painting their hand imprints on cave walls. He believes "we could go there today, paint our own hands and place them on the wall, and they would be exactly the same."

Relearning is precisely what changes in weather patterns require of us. When we take away knowing what to expect, like when frosts come and what amount of snow is normal, we’re more vulnerable. We all depend on the land for our livelihood. We just think we’re less susceptible than we really are.

This is well-documented. While 70% of Americans agree that climate is changing, only 40% think it will affect us personally. We have a gap.

Dr. Cathy Whitlock, Regents Professor Emerita and climate scientist at Montana State University, says that the path ahead with climate change is already in place, and our strength comes from adaptation. She highlights Montana municipalities developing plans to care for citizens in the cases of forest fire, extreme heat and drought. If we concentrate on how climate will impact us, and especially our more vulnerable citizens, we realize the prudence of preparation.

"It’s really just helping your neighbors and kids," says Whitlock, reinforcing that climate is not political and is instead a fundamental part of our shared reality.

Drawdown.org says the same: "The climate crisis is not a science problem. It is a human problem. The ultimate power to change the world does not lie in technology. It relies on reverence, respect and compassion — for ourselves, for all people, and for life."

We can all keep talking about changing weather patterns, and the cultural connections to our community and family. We can see the bridge between the human impact on the planet and what is possible. To create a better world is much easier than we imagine.

Sometimes we know intuitively that something is wrong in our lives, and it is in our bravest moments that we act. We can find courage through what we love — our kids and grandkids, our livestock, the land and wildlife around us, and maybe even ourselves and each other — to embrace the power of our interconnectedness.

This is the final article in the Twenty Questions about Climate Change series, and we hope they’re useful to you. Thank you profoundly to the Acantha for allowing their printing.