The way we feel when we truly confront the reality of the climate crisis can range from worry, fear, and anxiety to full-blown doom, paralysis, and debilitation.
If you’re in the U.S. or anywhere paying attention, recent headlines from Trump pushing for coal production, reversing water efficiency requirements and dismantling state-level climate laws are not just frustrating. They’re tear-jerkingly terrifying.
This renewed focus on dismantling state power is deeply concerning. Much of the post-2016 reassurance rested on the idea that strong state-level policies could buffer federal inaction. Now, even that assumption is under threat.
The wave of announcements—each more shocking or heartbreaking than the last—can feel deafening, numbing, and isolating.
But here’s the truth. There is something you can do.
You don’t have to wait for governments to lead. You don’t have to put your body on the line in protest (unless you want to). You can act—small, meaningful, local actions that ripple outward.