First of all, and most of all, I want to give a massive salute to all those people who refuse to give in to climate doom, and couldn't give a damn what climate doomers say.
If you're determined to keep pushing for meaningful action on climate change no matter what the charts and graphs are saying, you are golden.
You will save this planet. Just keep going. You've got this.
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Climate Doom is reaching a tipping point. There are only so many parts per million our atmosphere can take, so we need to act, and fast.
It's really important to know what climate doom is and why it's so toxic and unhealthy.
You should learn to recognize it in yourself and in others. As with any mental illness, early diagnosis is crucial.
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Climate Doomers are the new Climate Deniers. Many climate doomers don't realize this, but they could be sponsored by Big Oil.
The reason I say they are the same is because they both lead us in different ways to the same outcome. They lead us to exactly the same place. They lead us to inaction. They lead us nowhere. They lead us to a burning world full of people with graphs and charts saying I told you so.
Nobody wants that world.
There's a weirdly popular misconception about what is meant by Climate Doomerism.
Do you think climate doomer is an insult designed to dismiss anyone making doomful warnings about climate change?
Do you think climate doomer is an offhand way of saying you're overreacting to the massive climate breakdown we are facing?
Yeah well, it's not that.
It's really not.
You can tell me the world is on fire. Because it is.
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Here's the important part. Saying the world is on fire doesn't make you a climate doomer. It's the next part that's important.
If you tell me the world is on fire and we HAVE to do something about it, I will say-
"Yes! God Yes! I'm so happy you're here. Let's go do something about it. Now!"
If you tell me the world is on fire and there's NOTHING we can do about it, I will say-.
"No! God No! You are a Climate Doomer. Get help. Now!"
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I know everyone with half a brain cell is worried about climate change. We all should be talking about it. But there are ways of talking about it that are healthier and more effective than others.
Find whatever works for you, just please, for god's sake, don't be a Climate Doomer. And if you can't help yourself, can you at least try to suffer in silence? You're doing everyone's heads in.
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I will be adding everything I can find about climate messaging and the perils of climate doomerism here. Please feel free to send me articles and your thoughts. I'm always listening.
Sadly, I will be muting all the inevitable climate doomer replies. It's not personal but once you say we're doomed, there's really nothing more you can say about it, is there? You're out of the game. Just try to enjoy the short time you have left, QUIETLY!
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"I keep saying I respect despair as an emotion, but not as an analysis. You can feel absolutely devastated about the situation and not assume this predicts outcome. The facts tell us that the general public is not the problem; the fossil fuel industry and other vested interests are; that we have the solutions, that we know what to do, and that the obstacles are political; that when we fight we sometimes win; and that we are deciding the future now."
Rebecca Solnit
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/26/we-cant-afford-to-be-climate-doomers
Recovered Climate Doomer Sean Youra has advice for those who are suffering from the same sort of fatalism that he once felt.
âStop engaging excessively with negative climate change content online and start engaging in your community. You can be one of those voices showing there is support for the solutions.â
#ClimateAction
#ClimateDoomIsTheNewClimateDenial
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/03/24/climate-doomers-ipcc-un-report/
"Climate "doomers" believe the world has already lost the battle against global warming. That's wrong - and while that view is spreading online, there are others who are fighting the viral tide."
Marco Silva,
Climate Disinformation Specialist,
BBC.
"I donât want to talk about whether pessimism is accurate. I want to focus on whether itâs useful. People might defend doomsday scenarios as the wake-up call that society needs. If theyâre exaggerated, so what? They might be the crucial catalyst that gets us to act on climate change.
Setting aside the moral problem of stretching the truth, this claim is wrong.
Scaring people into action doesnât work."
Hannah Ritchie
I will repeat this point because it's so important and massively overlooked, especially on Mastodon.
It has been scientifically proven. Scaring people into action on climate change doesn't work.
To all those people posting doom and scary charts and graphs and imploring us to follow the science on climate change, I have one urgent request.
Can you please just follow the science on climate change messaging?
"We need optimism to make progress â yet that alone isnât enough. To contend with environmental crises and make life better for everyone, we need the right kind of optimists: those who recognize that the world will only improve if we fight for it."
Hannah Ritchie
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https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23622511/climate-doomerism-optimism-progress-environmentalism
"So, are we doomed?"
"If you take away one thing from this blog post, let it be this: No, we are not doomed.
While falling into climate doom is a totally understandable emotional response, hereâs why itâs important to fight back against that impulse.
The first and most important reason to resist climate doom is that itâs factually incorrect.
Hereâs the good news: No credible climate scientist thinks weâre doomed. Zero."
https://www.carbonneutralclub.com/article/the_truth_behind_climate_doom
"Climate Doom-mongering has overtaken denial as a threat and as a tactic. Inactivists know that if people believe there is nothing you can do, they are led down a path of disengagement."
"Well meaning people unwittingly do the bidding of fossil fuel interests by giving up."
Michael E. Mann,
Climate Scientist.
"Think about it. We already have the technology to completely decarbonize the global electricity grid right now. And most of the innovation needed for the rest simply needs funding. In other words, there is nothing physically stopping us from addressing this crisis and building a better world."
"Every barrier to climate action exists inside peopleâs heads. Itâs a matter of collective will, which always starts from within yourself."
Aaron Hagey-Mackay
"Climate Doom has the especially pernicious effect of affecting people who are engaged with the issue. If those who would otherwise be pushing for meaningful climate action think thereâs nothing to be done, then weâll all just continue to burn fossil fuels, wonât we?"
#ClimateAction
#ClimateDoomIsTheNewClimateDenial
https://www.carbonneutralclub.com/article/the_truth_behind_climate_doom
"The best way to fight climate anxiety is to take climate action. Be active. No one has the right to tell you youâre doing it wrong. If youâre helping, thatâs all that matters.
Remember, those who have fought for decades against tackling the climate crisis want you to feel powerless. Thatâs because they know youâre not."
https://www.carbonneutralclub.com/article/how-to-turn-climate-anxiety-into-something-powerful
This is a rolling thread about Climate Anxiety, Climate Doom and Climate Messaging. It's here for you to dip in and out of.
I've put this here on Mastodon for a reason.
You might think Mastodon is full of intelligent well informed people and the reason the climate crisis seems so much worse on here is because people are posting the truth that 'the media' doesn't want you to see.
I would question that. I would ask you to question that.
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"When it comes to climate change we feel as if it is this giant boulder standing dead still and nobody is trying to push that boulder uphill to fix the problem.
The reality is that that giant boulder is already starting to roll.
It's got hundreds, thousands, even millions of hands we just need a few more hands to get it rolling faster, but it is moving in the right direction.
When we look at what is happening with people, that's where I find hope."
Katherine Hayhoe
"Positive messaging can be a powerful tool to inspire hope and action across all levels. It does not exist to put a veil over the harmful impacts and challenges of climate change, nor does it serve to greenwash, but it gives space to the inspiring and empowering stories that mainstream headlines often neglect to capture."
https://www.eauc.org.uk/the_impact_of_positive_messaging_during_a_chang
FUN SCIENCE CHALLENGE TIME!
I keep seeing people on Mastodon saying people should be made to feel terrified about climate change as that's the only way they will be motivated into action.
Scaring people in order to save the planet sounds right up my street and absolutely the best way to spend my time. I'm excited to get on board!
But first, I need to see the science. Can anybody, anywhere show me something, somewhere scientific that proves this approach actually works?
"Many communities of color, already affected by climate change and environmental devastation, lack the time or privilege to get lost on climate doom."
âThey have to focus on solutions, because their survival is literally on the line.â
Kristy Drutman.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/climate/climate-change-ok-doomer.html
ââItâs too lateâ means âI just want to be comfortable for as much of my life as possible, because Iâm already comfortable,.â
"'Itâs too lateâ means âI donât have to do anything, and the responsibility is off me, and I can continue existing however I want.ââ
Phillip Aiken.
We are still facing very dire threats, thatâs legitimate."
âBut that doesnât mean that no policy has ever been effective, and no progress has ever been made. And it certainly doesnât mean that progress isnât possible.â
Dr. Kate Marvel
âUnderneath doomerism and hopeium is the question of âAre we going to win?ââ
"Thatâs premature at this point. We need to ask ourselves if weâre going to try. We donât know till we try if weâre going to win. Whether or not we do, it will still have been worth it.â
Marie Annaise Heglar
#ClimateAction
#ClimateDoomIsTheNewClimateDenial
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/climate/climate-change-ok-doomer.html
"We should never forget that low lying island states face an existential threat from climate change. Precisely why we should take ambitious Climate Action and not sink into despair. We have agency!"
Jim Skea,
Chair,
IPCC.
I have seen lots of criticisms of the tone of IPCC Chair Jim Skea's climate messaging.
The criticism is that his warnings against climate despair and calls to action are too optimistic, and is being compared unfavourably to the more urgent warnings of the U.N. leader Antonio Guterres.
The questions I have to ask is, do Guterres and Skea have the same target audience? Who is Guterres addressing? Who is Skea addressing? Do they have the same brief? Should they sound the same?
If you ask me, I think UN Head Antonio Guterres' climate messaging is bang on point. He's addressing the political world, governments and the fossil fuel industries. His tone should be urgent, these groups need to be forced into action.
IPCC Head Jim Skea's climate messaging needn't be the same as this. He's addressing scientists, climate activists and concerned citizens. They are already engaged, already in action, so a bit of positivity from him is not such a terrible thing.
Newly appointed head of the IPCC Jim Skea is being criticised for saying "we should not despair and fall into a state of shock" about climate change. Some people say this message doesn't reflect the urgency of the crisis.
Maybe if these very same people hadn't wilfully misinterpreted every single IPCC report ever produced to invoke climate doom that makes people despair and fall into a state of shock, Jim Skea's climate messaging could be a touch more urgent.
I'm still waiting for anyone to answer my science challenge. I'm serious. Can anyone send me scientific evidence that using doomsday scenarios to scare people into action on climate change actually works?
While we wait, I'll post this piece of science from Tali Sharot.
What do they know about this subject? They're just a Wellcome Trust fellow and principle investigator at the Cognitive Perceptual and Brain Science Division at University College London. That's all.
"Volunteering with various environmental organizations stopped my climate anxiety, primarily because it makes me feel less isolated. I no longer wonder if Iâm losing my mind because Iâm surrounded by people who take climate change seriously. When youâre with a group of people who fight to protect the planet and humanityâs place on it, suddenly thereâs hope."
Jenna Wenkoff,
Alberta,
Canada.
"Any message of hopeful alarm should begin by emphasizing that people have agency, both individually and collectively, to shape the future. The die is not cast: Any actions that reduce carbon emissions today will improve our future, and there are not just two possible outcomesâsuccess or failure. Instead, there is a continuum of potential outcomes, and where we land along that continuum depends on decisions we make now and in the years to come."
"Climate messaging should be based on sounding a hopeful alarm."
This is a great resource for educators who want to find effective ways of talking to students about the climate crisis.
I'm posting it here because in a way we are all educators and the way we approach talking about the climate crisis matters.
https://eos.org/opinions/climate-education-that-builds-hope-and-agency-not-fear
If climate change concern were a political party, they would dominate the U.K. parliament with a massive 77% majority.
So, the question is, how do we turn climate change concern into a political party?
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/one-four-britons-think-climate-change-out-control
A very climate aware American told me Americans were 'boiling like very very stupid frogs' and the only way they will wake up is when a huge climate event leads to thousands of deaths.
I asked if they'd heard that 7 in 10 Americans want tougher action on climate change, and wouldn't they like to think about how to harness that desire in to positive climate action?
No response. Nothing.
Check yourselves. You may be accidental Climate Doomers.
"I understand that climate doomism stems from people feeling scared but itâs incredibly harmful."
"This entire decade is the time where we need to mobilise and push for action, but doomism turns people away and they think that they canât do anything about it."
âWe have the solutions right now, the only thing missing is the will."
Dominique Palmer,
Climate Justice Activist.
#ClimateAction
#ClimateDoomIsTheNewClimateDenial
https://www.bigissue.com/news/environment/earth-day-doomism-the-privilege-we-can-ill-afford/
"I spoke to Dave Schimel, the IPCC Nobel prize winning climate scientist, about how we can address climate grief. He thinks that the current generation of climate scientists needs to move on from education and advocacy to providing solutions for mitigation, adaptation and resilience. The best treatment for climate grief, he says, is knowing youâve made a contribution to reducing emissions or building resilience."
Kimberley R. Miner,
Climate Scientist
"In California, rainstorms started in December and lasted until May. Reservoirs were refilled, and many oaks were saved. The hills glowed with yellow and orange wildflowers, and leaves exploded from branches in rapid growth, a benefit of the winter of moisture. For just this one year, the blossoming hills gave me a breath of relief amid the ongoing struggle, and I rededicated myself to continuing to fight for everything we can still save."
Kimberley R. Miner,
Climate Scientist.
Listen, we don't have to agree on how bad the climate breakdown is, how to approach climate messaging, or what methods we use to tackle the biggest existential problem we've ever faced.
What we do have to agree on, and this is an easy one, climate anxiety is real, is spiralling out of control, and if we're not careful, it will kill us before the floods and fires do.
Let's agree first of all to be well. Well people make change happen.
"While itâs easy to feel like itâs your sole responsibility to save the world on your own, try to let go of unnecessary worry by accepting that you can only control what you can control. Reassure yourself that if we all do a little, we can achieve a lot."
Look, once you are aware that increased Co2 emissions are causing increasingly destructive climate events, you know enough. It's more than OK to switch off the news and take care of yourself. Plant a tree, cook a veggie meal, plan an exciting holiday that doesn't involve flying. Enjoy yourself. You're good.
I'll put this part in big-
YOU DON'T HAVE TO PERSONALLY BEAR WITNESS TO EVERY SINGLE LAST HORRIFIC CLIMATE EVENT THERE IS TO PROVE YOU CARE ABOUT THE CLIMATE.
"What is to be done to alleviate the rising levels of climate anxiety? The best chance of increasing optimism and hope in the eco-anxious young and old is to ensure they have access to the best and most reliable information on climate mitigation and adaptation. Especially important is information on how they could connect more strongly with nature, contribute to greener choices at an individual level, and join forces with like-minded communities and groups."
"The climate crisis is an existential threat, and fearfulness about the future cannot be fully tackled until a common united global strategy is put in place to address the root cause, global warming, and to give everyoneâespecially the young and the most vulnerable communitiesâthe hope of a better future."
Mala Rao and Richard A Powell,
Imperial College,
London.
"John Kenneth Galbraith once said, âAll of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.â
We must hope that our leaders recognise the challenges ahead, the need to act now, and the commitment necessary to create a path to a happier and healthier future, leaving no one behind."
Mala Rao and Richard A. Powell
Screaming Doom over the climate is great to get you traction during the fire season, but when the season is over and the world hasn't ended, you may be in danger of being dismissed as an alarmist.
If you have a consistent message of the need to take urgent action against climate change, regardless of the weather, you can say this all the year long.
"Itâs easy to dismiss your own efforts as pointless in the face of all the damage being done to the Earth and its creatures. But if you look in the right places, youâll see the good being done too â and it is truly inspiring.
We, collectively and as individuals, DO have the power to make the world a wilder place."
Katharine Reed.
https://www.rewildingmag.com/how-to-rewild-10-ways-to-take-action/
"People always come up to me at my talks to say, 'How do I make things better?' That strikes me as a very psychologically healthy response to the situation we're in. It's in some respects like any other emergency. If your house is on fire, what do you do? You try to put it out."
"The best antidote for despair is action."
Bill McKibben,
Climate Scientist.
https://www.newsweek.com/what-is-best-weapon-against-climate-change-hope-1815325
Believing that climate breakdown and societal collapse is coming in a few short years is all very well, but what if it doesn't come?
Are you making any plans for a future that DOESN'T involve the apocalypse?
âIn climate messaging, we know that positive framings are good in general, but a lot of these terms feel like they are still aimed at elite audiences.
I think there is something really important for us to discuss about who gets to set the language. How would people in the most climate-affected communities and nations think about these terms and this language?â
Rachel Orr.
#ClimateMessaging
#ClimateAction
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/27/talk-about-climate-crisis-voters-labour
"I do make a conscious choice every morning to say âyes, I know what all the bad news isâ â thatâs easy to get because that just screams at you from whatever news feed you have â but also, what is positive that is going out there? What are the disruptive pieces that are real, strong evidence of the fact that this is changing?â
Christiana Figueres.
"I feel moments of hopelessness, helplessness and depression every day but it is not my dominant feeling and certainly not my dominant energy.
The moment that we give up and say âOK, weâre doomed, weâre going above 1.5C, Iâm just going to crawl into my little cubbyhole and pull my blankets over my sheetsâ â then we have a self-fulfilling prophecy, for sure.
Our responsibility here is to understand the threat and do everything within our power to avoid it.â
Christiana Figueres.
"If we take several steps back, we can see something truly radical, gamechanging and life-giving: humanity is in a truly unique position to build a sustainable world.
Finally, the world has woken up to the reality of climate change and people are taking action. The climate scientists know change is possible because theyâve seen it happen. Against the odds, theyâve driven much of it."
Hannah Ritchie
"Itâs appropriate to say that climate change is a really serious problem that has a large impact. We need to get across a sense of urgency, because there is a lot at stake.
But thereâs often this message coming through that thereâs nothing we can do about it: itâs too late, weâre doomed, so just enjoy life.
Thatâs a very damaging message â because itâs not true, and thereâs no way that it drives action."
Hannah Ritchie.
"Scientists have won the battle to inform the public about climate change and its causes, which is why those opposed to climate action have cynically switched focus to undermining confidence in solutions and in science itself.â
Imran Ahmed,
Center for Countering Digital Hate.
"If you encountered climate change denial on the internet, how confident are you that you could recognize it for what it was?
You might think you have a good idea of what climate misinformation and disinformation look like, but we must be vigilant about the shapeshifting nature of climate denial.
What are the red flags? Look out for content that includes the five Ds: deflection, delay, division, despair and doomism."
The New Climate Denial.
Report by CCDH.
"It is vital that those advocating for action to avert climate disaster note this substantial shift from denial of anthropogenic climate change to undermining trust in both solutions and science itself.
The narrative shift from âOld Denialâ to âNew Denialâ seeks to undermine the solutions to mitigating the climate crisis and delay political action. A failure to shift our strategies would be enormously damaging."
"The U.S. administration is rolling back critical climate initiatives, pulling out of the Paris Agreement, pausing wind farm permits, and reversing EV incentivesâall while doubling down on fossil fuels.
But the rest of the world isnât waiting; and you don't have to, either. From record clean energy investments to rapid battery innovation, global progress is accelerating and experts say the clean energy revolution is unstoppable."
Katherine Hayhoe.
2024 was a good year for reduction in coal use in the U.K. The closure of the last coal fired power station, and the closure of two coal fired steelmaking plants means that the U.K. hasn't used so little coal since 1666.
That's not a typo. 1666, as in Great Fire of London 1666.
Electric vehicles are not magic bullets, but in the U.K. the numbers speak for themselves. They reduce emissions.
In 2024, oil demand fell 1.4% despite increased road traffic, largely due to the rise in the number of EVs. The UKâs 1.4m EVs, 0.8m plug-in hybrids and 76,000 electric vans cut oil-related emissions by at least 5.9MtCO2e.
This is only slightly offset by around 0.5MtCO2e from higher electricity demand.
The UKâs EV motorists each saved around ÂŁ800, on average, in 2024 â some ÂŁ1.7bn in total â relative to the cost of driving petrol or diesel vehicles.
"We are all imperfect activists. "
None of my plans involve the apocalypse. Quite a few involve avoding it.
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