And how can this inform climate solutions?
What is the difference between weather and climate?
This can seem obvious at first, but take a moment to think about how you would answer the question if a 5-year-old asked you.
Or, as it often happens, if someone told you "global warming can't be real; we had an extra-cold winter".
To have productive climate conversations and work towards climate solutions, we must understand the difference between weather and climate.
In this action pack, we'll start by breaking down a few articles that give examples of weather vs. climate, share a video that helps solidify this concept, align on a few actions we can take as extreme weather events become more and more common, and finally, we'll end with a reflection.
But first, let's get straight to the point.
What is the difference between weather and climate?
In short, climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.
NOAA provides an easy analogy: "Here’s one way to visualize it. Weather tells you what to wear each day. Climate tells you what types of clothes to have in your closet."
Now that we're on the same page, let's break this down a little further.
🎯 Action step 1 of 4: READ — Let's start by looking at a few articles together.
We experience weather every day, and it's time to connect the dots to the bigger climate picture. The key takeaway: we are in a climate emergency, and these heat waves and droughts are not standalone events. (Fun, right?)
Here's 3 examples that show why the difference between weather and climate — and their interconnection — is so important.
The difference between weather and climate climate can be hard to grasp because the two concepts are so intertwined. When you're having these climate conversations with friends or family, visuals can do wonders.
If there's ONE thing you'll do today, pick a family member who doesn't quite "get it" on climate change. Not someone who doesn't believe in it, but someone who doesn't understand how bad and urgent it is. Show them NASA's climate time machine.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 1 of 4: READ.
🎯 Action step 2 of 4: LISTEN — we'll watch a short video or listen to a podcast to further expand on our topic.
Now, we'll watch a 6-minute video. It's an effective tool for communicating the weather x climate relationship to others.
This 2018 video talks about extreme weather events, how a changing climate causes what we're going through, and what we can do.
In the last section, we talked about how weather and climate are different yet linked together; in this video, you'll learn how climate change makes extreme weather worse.
Good news: you can basically use everything in this video as highly relevant talking points. Plus, the editing is GREAT.
If you aren't in a place where you can have your sound on right now, here are the key takeaways from the video:
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 2 of 4: LISTEN.
🎯 Action step 3 of 4: ACT — Now it's time to do something. Let's go!
Now that you're up to speed on the difference between weather and climate, and why they both matter in climate change conversations, let's actually do something about it. Here are some options!
Of course, the Soapbox Project community is your new online home if you're looking for joyful + courageous accountability. Join here.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 3 of 4: ACT.
Before we go any further, it's time for you to pledge your commitment. It takes less than 30 seconds to pledge and we can bother you about it in a friendly way, so we can hold each other accountable. Pledge here!
🎯 Action step 4 of 4: REFLECT — what can you commit to? What fresh perspectives can we look at?
Before we go any further, it's time for you to pledge your commitment. It takes less than 30 seconds to pledge and we can bother you about it in a friendly way, so we can hold each other accountable.
Okay, now it's time for our final action step — a virtual art walk!
Art Works for Change, an organization that "strives to harness the transformative power of art to promote awareness, provoke dialogue, and inspire action", partners with The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to bring you this art tour, spotlighting the climate crisis through the lens of art.
There's 23 exhibits and it's all self-paced, so you can spend as little as a minute just scrolling through it.
Our Soapbox pick is below.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 4 of 4: REFLECT.
Check out our membership community for more resources like free weekly events with social justice experts, sustainable product discounts, pre-written email templates, a social impact job board, and in-person hangouts with new friends. Thanks for taking action with Soapbox Project!
Get our free bite-sized climate action plans before you go!