48,019,985 Democrats35,732,180 Republicans34,699,567 IndependentsONE ATMOSPHERE
65,900,000 rural Americans266,381,000 urban AmericansONE ATMOSPHERE

ONE ATMOSPHERE

8,000,078,132 people

in COMMON

OUR CLIMATE

Climate change is an all-hands-on-deck challenge. Everyone is needed, regardless of political affiliation, cultural identity, or economic status.

The atmosphere is our single largest “common pool resource,” meaning a resource we all depend on. Unfortunately, we’ve become a hyper-polarized citizenry. We’re divided by income, education, occupation (blue vs. white collar), geography (e.g., rural vs. urban, north vs. south), race, religion, gender, and of course, politics. When we get this divided, we can no longer solve big problems, like pandemics or climate change. We have a relationship problem, not a science problem.

Missing Voices

Many sectors of our economy, especially rural sectors, have been left out of the climate conversation.  But we need rural knowledge.   They know better than anyone how to restructure our forest, agriculture, and fisheries systems to address climate change.  We need their help, and leadership.  Listen to three rural voices about the importance of being inclusive and respectful. (4-min clip, here to watch).

Watch Video Clip

FEATURED PROJECTS

“The Climate Common” Series

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Hear OCC’s interviews with people who are not normally included in the climate conversation.  But should be.

Late-successional/Old-growth (LSOG) Project

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OCC is working with the timber industry in Maine to map and conserve late-successional and old-growth forest, an increasingly rare, ecologically important age-class of forest.

New Report from OCC and Maine Climate Table

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Richard Nelson, retired lobsterman, and John Hagan (founder of Our Climate Common) worked together on the report “EV on H2O: The Feasibility of Electrifying Maine’s Lobster Fleet by 2050.”  This report is an example of what can be accomplished when we work across our many divides.  Learn more here.

INTERGEN Climate Group

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The INTERGEN Climate Group was formed in 2020 to bridge the generational divide, and to combine our intergenerational skills to speed up action on solving the climate problem.

“30 YR” Bird Study

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Working with the timber industry in Maine, Our Climate Common is helping to manage Maine’s commercial forests for bird conservation at a national scale.

Forest Carbon for Commerical Landowners

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Our Climate Common convened a diverse group of conservationists, commercial forest landowners, and scientists, to determine whether Maine’s commercial forests could store more carbon while maintaining harvest levels.

“Building Bridges” Discussion Group

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With the Onion Foundation, Our Climate Common convenes an informal group of practitioners in “bridge building” across our political, cultural, and economic divides. Learn more by clicking on the image above.