Dr. Elizabeth Sawin✨I find I get this uneasy feeling in my belly every time earth system parameters hop outside of the limits of the last 125,000 years. You?
Marco van Burgsteden 🍋@bethsawin I trick my mind into some form of reconciliation by telling myself that this is a once in a lifetime experience. I mean, in all of history, we are the few that actually might witness the end of humanity. Too bad there won't be anyone left to brag about it afterwards.
Maxo996@bethsawin that feeling of breaking a record 4 days in a row!
Maxilo Overit@bethsawin Yeah, it seems chronic. We'd better take our planet to the doctor. Or our belly.
Thomas Beagle@bethsawin I'm trying to load an earlier config file to reset things but apparently we're playing on Hardcore mode.
Hteph@thomasbeagle @bethsawin Ironman to get the Achievements, next up "Planetkiller".
Pauline von Hellermann@bethsawin
Yes. Was just staring at this graph.
I understand the argument that fearmongering doesn’t work, that (the majority of) people need positive messaging to be motivated to act etc. But: it is also not right that the vast majority are so in the dark about where we are actually at; that there is no serious engagement or messaging about this from political leaders. #ClimateEmergency
yunchtimeit's terrifying. basically if we don't immediately stop driving all day every day, we're toast. I am being extremely circumspect when I say #TenPercentNow meaning that we must convert 10% of our current city streets into a connected, traversable bike and pedestrian only network. Even that small attempt, might just shoehorn enough ppl out of their cars. But it is a hail mary pass. There is no "next" time, and no can to kick down the road. this is it.
Steve Moore 
@pvonhellermannn @bethsawin
Meanwhile at the other end of the axis -
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2023/07/dire-situation-gets-more-dire-every-day.html
Meanwhile at the other end of the axis -
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2023/07/dire-situation-gets-more-dire-every-day.html
DavidB@pvonhellermannn @bethsawin Honestly, I don't understand the argument for positive messaging at the moment.
If there is a moment to panic and to be scared as hell is now.
Positive messaging is surfing on the "slightly changing your daily habits can save the planet." Which is BS, always has been BS. Changing the entire fabric of the Western World can save the planet and only that at this point.
If there is a moment to panic and to be scared as hell is now.
Positive messaging is surfing on the "slightly changing your daily habits can save the planet." Which is BS, always has been BS. Changing the entire fabric of the Western World can save the planet and only that at this point.
Neil Hopkins (He/Him)@interacter @pvonhellermannn @bethsawin
What is? Positive messaging?
Indeed it worked so well for the past 20-30 years. Let's so more of it, until we're all cooked to death.
What is? Positive messaging?
Indeed it worked so well for the past 20-30 years. Let's so more of it, until we're all cooked to death.
@David @pvonhellermannn @bethsawin sorry, I wasn't clear.
Making people scared as hell is a way to trigger unhelpful reactance.
Don't get me wrong, I believe that we need to change our communication models.
I am certainly not talking about telling people it will all be ok if they just remember to put their plastics out for recycling.
But we also need to look across the whole spectrum of messaging to understand what does and doesn't work. (Personal bias - social marketing/behaviour change is an area of geekery).
If you look at one of the recent Climate Warnings from scientists, not even the red top tabloids (who write to just under the average UK reading age of 9) could translate the science-ese for their audience. I think the coverage of the pres release was the only article I have ever seen in The Mirror where the reading age was post-grad.
It was also accompanied by a picture of an asteroid hitting earth. Which, you know, doesn't really help the conception or the reality of the situation.
We also need to look at the behaviour of governments and their levers.
Switch to electric cars was a.message on one hand. Then the story was about opening a new coal mine in England.
The two do not add up and the poor public, who have daily things to think about like affording rent, food or heat (possibly not all three) can't parse the information together in the way science folk would.like.
Just personal opinions. There is some great work being done around science and academic communication to open them up to people without the privilege of extensive education and study in these areas.
But is it enough?
No, it isn't. Let's face it, people like EF Schumacher were writing in the 1970s about the.coming oil crash, but, lock d away in academia, I don't think the impact was what it could have been.
And that is without rolling out arguments about the grip of Big Energy on political influence....
BensGreenGamingAc@David @pvonhellermannn @bethsawin My positive is: “Theres still hope, but we have to act now and do what’s required.”
@green_bens @pvonhellermannn @bethsawin What is "act now"? What is that thing that needs to be done?
If you don't spell it out, it's the same feel-good empty phrasing as before.
If you don't spell it out, it's the same feel-good empty phrasing as before.
@David @pvonhellermannn @bethsawin Touchė. I do follow up with a big list - people seem very attached to certain things (AGAs, flights) but seem to be much more open to insulation, solar + batteries and EVs. Cost is a major barrier, so is getting installers.
@David @pvonhellermannn @bethsawin Our local council does seem to be doing the right sort of things to a degree but the local conservation group seems to oppose anything on roofs. (Save the architecture, not the planet. Good job we’re not at sea level or anything.)
It would all be a lot easier if the news was actually reporting this rather than doing the usual “Weather much nicer than normal for the 40th day, flooding in foreign lands.”
David Mitchell 
I would be really curious to see the data over a longer span than 30 years. I notice that this level of variability is present within these last few decades, what is most concerning in that it is happening in mid-winter rather than in summer (Dec-Feb) when it is historically most variable: does not bode well for next summer.
Pensive™️@bethsawin I’m with the #ProphetGeorge on this one. The himan race has had a good run but squandered it.
