The Hole in the Bucket

Most people care about climate change—even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

According to the latest edition of the Yale Climate Opinion Maps, 63% of adults are worried about global warming, 57% agree that it’s already harming people in the United States, and 68% believe it will impact future generations.

But only 44% think it will hurt them personally.

It’s a confirmation of something that’s been clear for a long time—even if a majority of Americans care about climate change, it’s rarely their top priority.

Some people are living paycheck to paycheck and just doing their best to survive. Others are fighting to save our democracy or achieve progress on other critical issues. They have other things that take precedence, and that’s not something to blame them for.

What we need to help them realize is that the climate crisis impacts every single issue they care about.

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe said it best at our recent Action Party:

"So often, we think of climate change as a separate bucket at the end of the row of all of the buckets of things we care about.

[But] climate change is not a separate bucket. It’s the hole in every other bucket."

People spend every day filling up the buckets that matter to them, whether that means fighting for social justice, supporting their family, friends, and communities, or enjoying their hobbies. These buckets can be literally anything—causes you champion, activities you prioritize, or people you care about.

And there isn’t a single one that doesn’t have a climate change-shaped hole in it.

It might not be noticeable yet. Maybe the buckets are only a little harder to fill than they were before. But if the climate crisis goes unaddressed, those holes will get bigger and bigger—and eventually, filling up any bucket will become an impossible task.

That’s what we’re fighting day in and day out to prevent.

As we continue our efforts to drive systemic change and achieve progress on climate, a critical part of that work is helping others see what we see—that climate change touches everything, and doing something about it is key to protecting what they care about most.

Let’s get to work!

This week, we’re reminding our elected officials, news media organizations, and loved ones that climate change is the hole in every bucket. Join us as we advocate for more climate-inclusive reporting, educational curricula, and policy solutions!

TODAY'S ACTION: Remind your state leaders that climate change is connected to top voting priorities

To get the rest of the Actions of the Day this week, make sure you've done one of the following:

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Test your knowledge of hopeful developments with our most recent quiz.

Check out our latest Weekly Dose of Climate Hope.

In the pipeline:

Monday - A promising package of geothermal bills heads to the Senate 🔥
Tuesday - A UK river earns a rights of nature charter 💧
Wednesday - "Floatovoltaics" gain traction across the country ☀️🌊
Thursday - Bison rewilding transforms landscapes in Europe and beyond 🦬
Friday - No Kings organizers plan "Rise Up, Sing Out" 🎤
Saturday - Challenge yourself with our weekly quiz! 🤓
Sunday - Your Weekly Dose of Climate Hope! 🎉

Last week, we shared that the Healthy Homes Right to Know Act passed in the New York State Senate. Now, it’s cleared the Assembly—which means we’re just one signature away from enacting a powerful gas stove labeling law! We couldn’t have gotten this far without the help of our NY CANdoers, or the tireless efforts of CAN President Tim Guinee. Check out another thank-you message from him—and never forget that your actions matter!

TAKE ACTION: Tell Governor Hochul to sign the Healthy Homes Right to Know Act into law

Saving Science: In a major win for science and climate research, a federal court has blocked the Trump administration’s dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research! The presiding judge determined that the decision to break up the center was purely retaliatory and issued a preliminary injunction to stop the transfer of the center’s supercomputing facility. We may not be out of the woods yet, but it’s a major step forward in the fight to save science—and a reminder that even if it takes time, victory is possible! (Colorado Public Radio)

"Climate change is not a separate bucket. It’s the hole in every other bucket. If you care about your family’s wellbeing, if you care about your community, if you care about hunger, equity, justice, poverty, nature, education, health, you name it. Climate change is the hole in that bucket.

It isn’t about making people care about climate change. It’s about helping them see they already do, and they just didn’t realize it."

— Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s final remarks at our "Talking Climate in the Age of Disinformation" Action Party

If so, please help us continue it!

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