Climate change is scary. Talking about it productively doesn't have to be.

Climate change remains one of the most controversial topics in America, with people resolutely divided along partisan battle lines. As fires rage tragically across Australia, flame wars flicker here, too, as we struggle to engage in meaningful discourse about climate change.

But better conversations are not only possible, they’re also relatively easy to bring about. The key is to change the script from the way the dialogue normally takes place:

1. Abandon the talking points. Many exchanges on climate change follow a depressingly familiar playbook. Memes, stale talking points and insults are lobbed at all who dare disagree. This drumbeat of acrimony is all around us: in the news media, among our political leaders and within our own communities. The first step is to avoid that dead end. When you encounter a talking point, resist the urge to fire back. Instead, take a deep breath and try to figure out what lies underneath the rhetoric.