Climate is a Kitchen Table Issue: A Conversation with Dr. Marshall Shepherd

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and How Georgians Are Feeling Climate Impacts Now 

03:29 The Disproportionate Burden of a Changing Climate 

06:06 Climate Solutions as Kitchen Table Issues 

09:43 Has Georgians’ Thinking on Climate Changed? 

12:25 Closing Thoughts

In 2020, Drawdown Georgia conducted statewide public opinion research to better understand local perspectives on climate solutions and impacts in Georgia. How have those perspectives evolved since then, and why is climate a “kitchen table” issue that all Georgians can be motivated to act on?

Blair Beasley of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation talks with Dr. Marshall Shepherd, a member of the original Drawdown Georgia research team and Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia, about how climate change is already showing up in Georgians’ daily lives, and what we can do about it.

Climate Change Isn’t Coming, It’s Already Here

Dr. Shepherd makes the case for dropping the future tense entirely: Georgia’s heat waves, rainstorms, droughts, and hurricanes have already changed in intensity and frequency, and much of the state’s infrastructure was built for a climate that no longer exists.

Why Climate Impacts Hit Some Communities Harder

Dr. Shepherd explains the “extreme weather climate gap,” how income and wealth shape who can recover quickly from a disaster like Hurricane Katrina, and shares his University of Georgia research on the “racialized urban heat island” effect in cities like Atlanta.

Everyday Climate Solutions at the Kitchen Table

From composting food scraps to driving an EV to becoming a “climate voter,” Dr. Shepherd walks through the practical, household-level actions Georgians can take, while explaining how they fit into Drawdown Georgia’s broader, comprehensive approach to climate solutions.

Is Georgia’s Thinking on Climate Changing?

Dr. Shepherd shares what he’s observed talking with Georgians and policymakers on both sides of the aisle, and points to the state’s growing solar, EV, and battery manufacturing industries as evidence of a real shift already underway.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Dr. Shepherd insists on discussing climate change in the present tense, not the future.
• How the “extreme weather climate gap” connects income and wealth to who recovers fastest from climate disasters.
• What the “racialized urban heat island” effect looks like in a city like Atlanta.
• Practical, kitchen-table climate solutions Georgians can take on today, from composting to EVs to solar.
• Why Dr. Shepherd is optimistic about the shift in how Georgians and policymakers talk about climate.

Continue reading in our companion blog for more on climate solutions as a kitchen table issue in Georgia.

Download the Interview Transcript

Prefer to read the conversation instead? Download the complete transcript of this interview to explore Dr. Marshall Shepherd’s insights on climate impacts and solutions in Georgia.