Talking about climate change #17
Talking about climate change #17
Facing up to doomism (5 minute read)
Earth’s intricate engineering, unpicked...
Gillian Clarke
As I’ve acknowledged before, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by climate change. The feeling of being overwhelmed can drive us to a feeling that it’s all hopeless, that nothing we do will make a difference, that it’s too late. I feel that way sometimes – are my tiny efforts pointless? Should I just give up?
So far, these thoughts haven’t got in the way of me taking action. Even though what I’m doing feels small, I keep going. I can see a point, because I see my personal actions as part of a larger picture. Fixing climate change isn’t about small individual actions adding up, it’s about individuals working together to make system-level changes. That’s why climate change action isn’t just about flying less or eating less meat or catching the bus more often. It’s about reminding politicians that climate change is important to you. It’s about making good decisions about where you invest your money. For me, it’s about writing this newsletter to help people understand more about the science and to have better conversations about climate change.
The problem with feeling hopeless is that it can lead to people doing nothing, not just individuals, but organisations and governments. And if everyone does nothing, then nothing changes. We keep on the same path of ever-increasing emissions, rising temperatures, more intense extreme weather... it doesn’t end well.
But how do we communicate with those who feel so hopeless that they see no point in acting? The answer is not to frighten them with even more terrifying scenarios. Nor is it to try and shame them into action. But what actually works?
There’s no magic answer, of course. What convinces one person may not convince another. So, here are a range of resources looking at hopelessness and hope in relation to climate change.
Resources from Elin Kelsey
One person who has thought about hope and hopelessness in great detail is science communicator Elin Kelsey. She’s written a book called “Hope matters: why changing the way we think is critical to solving the environmental crisis”. I haven’t read it yet (I’d love to hear from you if you have), but I have taken a look at what she’s got to say. Here is a selection of resources covering her key messages, starting with a quick video and moving to more in-depth material.
Climate Change: A Crisis of Hope by Elin Kelsey - YouTube (3 minute video)
Climate change 'hope punk': Hopelessness is uninformed, disempowering (cnbc.com) (10 minute read)
Elin Kelsey - Communicating Hope in an Age of Despair - YouTube (1 hour video)
Different perspectives on hope
Another person who has thought about hope is philosopher Rupert Read. Here, he gives an honest evaluation of whether it is really “too late”. His message is confronting, but ultimately hopeful. One of his crucial points is consistent with what I learned when I spoke with David Wratt, that while keeping warming below 1.5oC would have been great, it’s still better to keep warming below 2oC than to let it get up to 2.5o or worse.
On climate, what is and isn’t too late? - YouTube (7 minute video)
Katharine Hayhoe, a Canadian climate scientist, talks about the importance of hope in motivating action on climate change. She’s so passionate about the topic that she has also written a book about hope and climate change, called “Saving us: a climate scientist’s case for hope and healing in a divided world”. Again, I’d love to hear from you if you’ve read it.
Climate change fear can be paralyzing. But you can spur action through hope, says scientist (10 minute read and 11 minute audio)
In this article, African scientists share their reasons for hope about the future in the face of climate change.
Climate change can be beaten – why some scientists are hopeful (6 minute read)
The author of the following article talks to American scientists and doctors whose work brings them face-to-face with some depressing realities. The scientists share how they maintain their sense of hope.
How climate scientists keep hope alive as damage worsens | AP News (6 minute read)
What is “doomism” and what can we do about it?
The sense of hopelessness about climate change is sometimes called “doomism”. The following resources look at doomism and those who are working to fight it.
Why is climate 'doomism' going viral – and who's fighting it? - BBC News (5 minute read)
Climate doomism is bad storytelling (5 minute read)
Jonathan Franzen’s climate change New Yorker essay angers scientists - Vox
Resources from Michael Mann
I’ve mentioned two books that I haven’t yet read, now, here is the book I am currently reading. It’s by climate scientist Michael Mann and it’s called “The New Climate War”. He explains the tactics of those who are trying to prevent action on climate change. Among these tactics is encouraging beliefs that there’s nothing we can do and it’s all too late. After all, if there’s nothing we can do, we might as well keep burning fossil fuels and contributing to the profits of the oil companies.
Here are some resources explaining Michael Mann’s arguments.
Scientist Michael Mann expresses hope during West Coast book tour (6 minute read)
Climate Deniers Shift Tactics to 'Inactivism' - Scientific American (7 minute read)
Climatologist Michael E Mann: 'Good people fall victim to doomism. I do too sometimes' (12 minute read)
I haven’t been able to find a short video, so here’s a full interview which is well-worth a look.
Michael E. Mann: The New Climate War - YouTube (1 hour video)
Finally, here’s a New Zealand take on how to counter some of the tactics Michael Mann talks about.
Old-fashioned climate denial is dying out - Future Proof (substack.com)
This month’s climate poem
This month’s poem is part of a series published by The Guardian in 2015. It’s dark, in keeping with this month’s theme, but the imagery is beautiful. As a bonus, it’s also read aloud by Welsh actor Iwan Rheon.
A climate poem for today: Cantre’r Gwaelod* by Gillian Clarke | Climate crisis | The Guardian
This column really resonates with me! I find maintaining a sense of hopefulness keeps me on the lookout for opportunities to do better, each little thing feels like a breadcrumb of progress. It motivates me to write submissions on council plans, and to “gameify” my own behaviour (eg, keeping track of my cycling kms and allowing myself to be self-congratulatory on achieving milestones). To me, it’s the middle way between being overwhelmed by the big picture, and deciding not to care because one’s own efforts are trivial. Hopefulness makes “the act of doing a little” fun and fulfilling.
Thank you so much. This is so good to read.