The Climate Crisis Is Real, But Giving Up Isn’t an Option with Amanda McKenzie

Climate change can feel so enormous that it’s difficult to know where to start or how to stay engaged without becoming overwhelmed.

In this episode of Better Than Yesterday, Osher Gunsberg speaks with climate campaigner and Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie about the realities of climate change, the progress Australia has already made, and how we can continue fighting for a better future without burning ourselves out.

Amanda has spent more than 20 years working on climate change, and she reflects on what it’s like to dedicate your life to an issue that can feel almost impossibly large. She opens up about the loss of her friend and climate scientist Professor Will Steffen, and the emotional toll of witnessing environmental change while raising young children.

The conversation also explores Amanda’s idea of “stubborn optimism” - a deliberate choice to acknowledge the seriousness of the climate crisis while still believing that people can work together to create meaningful change.

Amanda and Osher also discuss Australia’s rapid growth in renewable energy, why the economics of clean energy are changing the conversation, the potential for Australia to become a global leader in green industries, and why progress can sometimes be difficult to see while you’re living through it.

Amanda also shares practical ways to protect yourself from doom-scrolling and climate burnout. And if you’re wondering what you can actually do about climate change, Amanda’s advice is simple: start small - because you don’t have to save the world on your own. You just have to find your part of the puzzle.

LINKS

• More on the Climate Council here
• Follow (@theclimatecouncil) on Instagram
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• Get Osher's latest books here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to sendosheremail@gmail.com

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• Listen to Amanda's first appearance on Better Than Yesterday
• The Psychology of Climate Anxiety, Climate Denial and Talking to your Kids about it with Psychologist Dr Susie Burke
• The Economic Cost of Climate Inaction with the brilliant economist Nikki Hutley

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