Hayhoe suggests that rather than viewing climate change as a threat to the planet itself, we should understand that humans are most at risk from a changing climate. The more she talks about climate change, the more pushback she gets from critics and the general public. Nevertheless, 73% of people living in the US believe that the planet is warming.

Hayhoe argues that the best way to address climate change is by talking about it. The constant devastation many countries (including the US) are experiencing due to natural disasters makes this urgent. These disasters also cause the wealth gap to widen even more than it already has; addressing people’s questions about their own lives is just as important as the science of climate change. The people who are and will be most affected by climate disasters are those who have contributed little to nothing to the problems causing climate change.

An important part of talking about climate change is finding common ground. Mutual respect and focus on what connects us is the only way we will get through to one another. For example, while preparing a talk for the Rotary Club, Hayhoe adapted her presentation to the Four-Way Test that the club lives by.