Here we are again: It’s the cusp of the holiday season, when families and friends come together for gatherings and meals. That’s good, right? But such gatherings can also spark serious debates on hot-button topics from politics to human rights and the environmental movement.

Sierra magazine’s annual Holiday Dinner Discussion Guide is here to help. Below are some topics that may come up during your holiday chats. And if things get heated, try to remember that fiery speeches don’t often change minds. The most effective conversations, according to the American Psychological Association, happen when we seek common ground, keep calm, and exercise empathy. Good luck out there.

These are meaningful conversations to have with friends and family—no one should have to tolerate racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, or transphobia. They are also environmental issues, and environmentalists must speak out when they see injustices. We also encourage you to seek out resources from the National LGBTQ Task Force and Showing Up for Racial Justice to help with these critical topics if they come up during the holidays.

Elections and politics

Protecting the planet is political. The Sierra Club gets political to help pass climate and clean energy legislation at all levels of government. And we’re not alone. In the recent midterm elections, climate advocates across the United States won up and down the ballot. That presents a historic opportunity for the Biden administration to build on the excellent work of the Inflation Reduction Act by being bold on climate, protecting the environment, creating jobs, and speeding up the clean energy transition. 

Democracy

The fights for democracy, equity, and a livable planet are interconnected. Polls show broad support for climate action and clean energy, yet all too often the voices of the people are curtailed by voter suppression and gerrymandering. Our democracy is under unprecedented threat today as white supremacist and conservative leaders work to suppress the vote so that they can cling to power. We urgently need to fix what is broken. Confronting the climate crisis and addressing environmental justice depend on an accurate and equal representation of the people.

The climate crisis

Communities worldwide continue to feel the effects of climate change, from stronger storms to devastating wildfires and droughts. A 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows the outlook is grim. Limiting warming to 1.5°C is possible only if the world’s worst polluters reduce carbon emissions by 43 percent by 2030, halting all carbon pollution by the early 2050s. To do that, we must quickly transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources. That’s a tall order, but it’s also an opportunity to create millions of good-paying jobs.

Sitting across the table from a climate denier? Check out this FAQ from the Climate Reality Project.

Holiday traditions

Maybe you’re proposing a plant-based meal? Sierra offers some simple hacks for incorporating plant-based foods into traditional holiday meals. Or scaling back gifting? We know that transforming family routines can be a delicate business. But excess consumption and waste, which shoots up by 23 percent in December, is driving myriad environmental crises. If exchanging gifts is not a holiday tradition that reflects your values, it’s time to advocate for alternative rituals that do.

Rising energy prices

Energy prices are expected to soar again this winter. Amid record profits for oil and gas companies, US households heating primarily with gas are projected to spend 62 percent more than they did in 2020. Why? Expanded US gas exports mean that companies are taking advantage of increased European demand while raising energy prices at home, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Now the industry is pushing to build more than 20 additional gas export facilities, sited primarily in communities of color—an environmental injustice and a climate disaster.

Meanwhile, US households with electric heat face a 14 percent price increase from 2020. The rising energy costs for communities across the US can be traced to utility companies’ stubborn, ill-advised reliance on dirty fossil fuels and their failure to transition to cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy sources.

Going electric

The Inflation Reduction Act has great incentives for switching from fossil fuels to solar power, electric-powered heat pumps, electric cars, and more. These programs have the potential to mothball our households’ heaviest emitters while bringing the changes within financial reach for more Americans. So why bring it up at holiday dinners? Research shows that when one household makes positive environmental choices, such as installing solar panels, it can send an earth-friendly ripple through the entire community. Sharing your goals for electric upgrades might spark similarly positive change for your friends and family.

Climate migration

Catastrophic storms, heat, and other climate-intensified extreme weather events are forcing people to leave their homes. As the climate warms, this number is likely to go up. There’s a lot of fear and anxiety over climate migration, but migrants should not be feared or criminalized. For thousands of years, humans have migrated in search of places to survive and build better lives. We must hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its central role in perpetuating the climate chaos, not demonize those who have already lost their homes.

What’s more, the people most likely to become climate refugees are from communities that bear the least responsibility for climate change. Wealthier countries, including the United States, have created the most climate-warming emissions, yet our government has long resisted providing resources to address loss and damage in poorer nations. The “loss and damage” movement, a topic at the recent COP27 climate conference in Egypt, demands rich countries pay up.

I agree, but what can we do?

Great job on these meaningful discussions! What now? Clue your family and friends into the power of taking online action, or extend an invitation to attend a local environmental group meeting. They’ll meet other like-minded people who will inspire them to keep working for positive change.