We aren’t here to whip people into a frenzy about climate change (although, it’s totally worth being frenzied about). Neither are we about stopping traffic in order to make an activist position on the need for urgent action (even though it really is worth stopping traffic for, aside from EVs…). Surfers for Climate’s contribution to change lives in the space occupied by the vast majority of Australian’s who are grappling with cost of living issues, mortgages out of control, but also who acknowledge that climate change is real and we should probably be doing something about, but not sure where to start doing it.

The role we play is about enabling everyday Australians the opportunity to get involved by meeting them where they’re at, not asking them to join us in a place that they’re not necessarily comfortable with (such as in the middle of a protest movement). Our approach has been to create ‘take-off points’ into action that are easy, non-confrontational, and hopefully fun. Salty Brains Trivia Nights that test your ocean knowledge and provide info on the facts of the matter of climate; Carpark Cinema movie nights and panel discussions that provide cinematic enjoyment whilst enabling experts to be heard by surfing communities; the Trade Up Program that engages tradespeople in an easy way and helps them find out about opportunities to be involved in the big changes we need in the built environment.

How did we come to this approach though? Did we make it up? No, we listened to experts who identified where we need to do our work if we are to truly grow the movement and have maximum impact.

Early in my role with Surfers for Climate, I’d learned about this research called The Climate Compass, which placed Australians on a spectrum of attitudes ...