"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."
“They have to focus on solutions, because their survival is literally on the line.”
Kristy Drutman.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/climate/climate-change-ok-doomer.html
“‘It’s too late’ means ‘I just want to be comfortable for as much of my life as possible, because I’m already comfortable,.“
"'It’s too late’ means ‘I don’t have to do anything, and the responsibility is off me, and I can continue existing however I want.’”
Phillip Aiken.
We are still facing very dire threats, that’s legitimate."
“But that doesn’t mean that no policy has ever been effective, and no progress has ever been made. And it certainly doesn’t mean that progress isn’t possible.”
Dr. Kate Marvel
“Underneath doomerism and hopeium is the question of ‘Are we going to win?’”
"That’s premature at this point. We need to ask ourselves if we’re going to try. We don’t know till we try if we’re going to win. Whether or not we do, it will still have been worth it.”
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 I’m losing my mind because I’m surrounded by people who take climate change seriously. When you’re with a group of people who fight to protect the planet and humanity’s place on it, suddenly there’s 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 outcomes—success 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 it’s 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 can’t do anything about it."
“We 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 you’ve 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 it’s easy to feel like it’s 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 everyone—especially the young and the most vulnerable communities—the hope of a better future."
Mala Rao and Richard A Powell,
Imperial College,
London.
"John Kenneth Galbraith once said, “All 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.”
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.
"It’s 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, you’ll see the good being done too – 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?
“In 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?”
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 ‘yes, I know what all the bad news is’ – that’s easy to get because that just screams at you from whatever news feed you have – 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?”
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 ‘OK, we’re doomed, we’re going above 1.5C, I’m just going to crawl into my little cubbyhole and pull my blankets over my sheets’ – 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.”
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 they’ve seen it happen. Against the odds, they’ve driven much of it."
Hannah Ritchie
"It’s 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 there’s often this message coming through that there’s nothing we can do about it: it’s too late, we’re doomed, so just enjoy life.
That’s a very damaging message – because it’s not true, and there’s 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.”
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 “Old Denial” to “New Denial” 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 incentives—all while doubling down on fossil fuels.
But the rest of the world isn’t 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 UK’s 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 UK’s EV motorists each saved around £800, on average, in 2024 – some £1.7bn in total – relative to the cost of driving petrol or diesel vehicles.
"This is a fight for life. And like all fights, you need a tremendous amount of bravery to take it on. Before I started working on climate change, I didn’t think of myself as a fighter, but I became one because I felt I have a responsibility to preserve the world for my son and children everywhere. That kind of fierce protectiveness is part of the way that I love. We can draw on that to have more strength than our enemies because I don’t think they’re motivated by love. I believe love is an infinite resource and the power of it is greater than that of greed or hate. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be here."
Genevieve Gunther
ProjectFearlessness
