The democratic approach to confronting climate change 

“Everybody talks about the weather,” the old quip goes, “but nobody does anything about it.” People, in other words, complain endlessly about realities beyond their control. 

Today, we know that we do influence the weather and can do something about it. The decisions we each make every day, particularly how we use energy, influence whether the weather becomes more extreme.

Natural disasters, from floods and wildfires to tornadoes and deadly heat waves, dominate the evening news. Big disasters — those with damages of at least $1 billion — have increased 83 percent worldwide since the 1990s. Last year, there were 23, the third highest number since 1980. They caused 276 deaths and $115 billion in damages. 

Scientists agree there is no place to hide: Every part of the country is affected. 

As recently as four years ago, people were less inclined to believe that personal action could influence climate change. This year, nearly 60 percent of us feel a personal obligation to do something about it.  There is growing interest in something called “climate democracy,” in which communities engage citizens in preventing, preparing for and recovering from weather-related disasters. Everybody with an environmental footprint — in other words, everybody — has a vote.

One leader is the Climate Democracy Initiative, a Colorado-based nonprofit where I am an unpaid senior fellow. It argues that climate change is a governance problem as well as an environmental crisis, especially in small and rural communities with limited resources. They must deal with extreme weather while contending with uncertain federal help and fragmented government programs. 

“Our goal is flipping that script to put local voices........

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