The climate is changing. Yet, the term “global warming” often gets misunderstood. It all seems to be happening much more visibly and much more intensely lately, which indicates that something is actually going on. In today’s episode, Tony and I discuss how to speak to others about controversial subjects, why we need to see the bigger picture, and we also talk about the importance of coexisting in the best way possible in this beautiful world of ours. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am back today with another conversation in our series on climate change. Tony Pratte, my sometimes guest, sometimes co-host, is joining me on the show today.  In the last podcast that Tony and I did together, we started a conversation about the emotions that arise in people when climate change, or what I more accurately refer to as “the climate crisis”, comes up. Ground rules In our last conversation, Tony and I set the ground rules for how we, as human beings, can talk about the issue of the current climate crisis. We spoke about how we can still manage to have that conversation even if we do not see eye to eye. We discussed compassion, grace, trust, and transparency, all of which are qualities that most of us would like to have in our lives anyway because they will serve us well in any situation.  The Golden Rule The Golden Rule for having any controversial conversation is to treat people the same way you would want to get treated.  Honoring yourself Many of us tend to think we need to be altruistic and always take care of everybody else. Honoring yourself and your health, wellness, and wellbeing is also very important, so remember yourself, too, when having those conversations.  Challenges We have some big challenges right now in our society. Many of us do not feel that we can change things, even though some know that is not the truth.  The big picture Everything we do and all of our decisions ultimately ties to the big picture and little steps can lead to big changes. So, we need to know what to do and to whom we need to listen. Communication channels The vast number of communication channels that we have today, with all their different points of view, make it hard for us to know who to listen to and what to believe. New possibilities Many people fail to question things. There is a tiny group of people, however, who are willing to take action and challenge the currently accepted narratives. They are willing to be the bridge-builders to open up new possibilities and share new information. Things are changing We are currently seeing impacts that we have never seen before in our lifetime. The climate is changing rapidly and many people desperately need food, medicine, and employment. We need to find a way to supply all of those things without disrupting our precious planet. The way we are living The way we live is impacting the earth faster than it can react positively for us.  What will happen to us? The pandemic has shown us that the earth will be able to correct itself and keep on going. So, the question is, what will happen to us? Time Our concept of time is not the same as how time relates to the earth. The earth works in cycles that can last for millions of years. We, as humans, tend to relate to time in terms of the length of our lifetime, so we do not know what the earth can handle.  What we know We know that a different lifestyle exists relating to three billion people living on the planet versus ten billion people. We need to start thinking about how our lifestyle is impacting the earth.  A new way to live We need to find other ways for so many of us to live on the planet and maintain a similar lifestyle without harming anyone else or the environment. Solar panels Ten square miles of solar panels in the New Mexico desert could power the entire USA commercially. There are some trade-offs to that, however, in terms of resources, so we need to find a way to balance things out. A goal We need to look at everyone on the planet as stakehol