How to find organizations that fight against climate change

Climate change is a massive problem that needs to be tackled from many angles. While the little actions we take can help, it’s mainly a systemic issue — one that requires fundamental shifts in our lifestyles and attitudes to the environment. There’s only so much we can do on our own, however. So how can you contribute to large-scale efforts to combat climate change worldwide?

One way would be to find climate change organizations and assist them however you can, whether it be with your time or money. Of course, it’s not as simple as choosing any one of them and calling it a day. There are several factors that you should consider.

The first being a climate change organization’s particular focus. Many of them fight very specific aspects of the global warming problem. For example, some target CO2 emissions directly. Others focus on protecting the rainforests or assisting with the development of clean energy.

Each of these aspects may be contributing to global warming more than others. Yet they’re all important, and some of them receive less support than they need. The organization Founders Pledge, which helps entrepreneurs donate part of their proceeds to charitable organizations, mentions three criteria it uses: importance, tractability, and neglectedness. In other words, issues that are contributing the most to climate change, issues that we can solve right now, and issues that are being relatively ignored.

So you can choose an organization based on the above criteria. Depending on where you live and your priorities, you may have a particular interest in say, saving the rainforests or changing the way we make or distribute food. Or you may want to donate money to a climate change-related cause that you feel people aren’t doing anything about.

Regardless of what you choose, how do you do your due diligence and contribute to an organization that’s valid and effective? Of course, some time on Google will help you, but there are specific sites for this. Charity Navigator and Charity Watch are examples of websites that evaluate charity organizations based on things like financial health and effectiveness.

You can easily search for relevant charities by searching about the climate or environment. They are US-focused sites, though you may be able to find similar ones in your home country and native language. As for Japanese charities, Give One and Kifu Navi let you look at information for organizations covering a wide range of topics. If you’re considering donating to a charity, you should look at several sources to get a good overall picture of what they’re about and their reputation.

Just like any other actions we can take — such as reducing waste or changing certain lifestyle habits — any contribution you can make to an organization fighting change can have an impact. The struggle to prevent further damage from climate change is multi-faceted, and both small and big actions contribute to a safer, more sustainable future.

[Reference] Climate Change Cause Area Report
[Reference] Vox Media
[Reference] Green Living Ideas