I like your approach to reducing dairy and meat. I’m trying to reduce both too but your approach of eating it if served by friends and family is a really good idea, reduces the awkwardness for everyone but most of the time you’re not eating it so it really reduces the amount of meat and dairy you eat. A friend also told me that he gave up dairy because of sea dead zones caused by runoff, I’m finding that quite convincing too
We both write about science, but I think you're braver than I am: I lean more into the 'what-if' side of things because looking harder at the violence wrought on our world by greed, corruption and stupidity is - necessary, to know what's going on, but also incredibly draining at a personal level. And also, there are folk - including you! - who are writing about these issues so well that I don't feel I have much to add.
But it's interesting how we all use our writing as a mixture of self-education and self-therapy, and those individual needs are a bit different for each of us. I think if I'd written with the level of attention you pay to climate change denial and anti-vaccination propaganda, I'd have burnt myself out! It's good to know that writing about these things has had a net-positive effect on you (which, as I said, makes me suspect you are a tougher cookie than I am)...
I think that's a big part of motivation - a little bit of hopefulness that makes us want to stand up and do something. That's what's so often missing from the big news stories: when you hear about something terrible happening in the world but the story doesn't suggest any way you can do something and get involved and maybe push the needle the other way...that must be a big part of the world news burnout it's so easy to feel. We're not designed to take in all this frustration and just sit motionless and silent with it.
(There was something here in the UK these last few weeks: a story on the BBC about a bunch of kids from low-income families at a school in northern England who couldn't afford to eat school meals, because they're not subsidised. I read it and it broke me a bit, so I contacted the school to make a donation - and it turned out that I was one of many hundreds of people who reacted the same way: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-63920547 The result was every child in that situation in that school will be getting free meals for the rest of the year. Really lovely to see. It's a systemic problem at the government level, and untangling that is a hell of a lot of work, but it's *also* a 'right here, right now' problem that can be addressed, and in this case, was addressed. A nice reminder.)
Also:
>>"if you are a friend or family member and you serve me meat or dairy, I will happily eat it. These changes are about what I buy myself.)"
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Mike. I really do appreciate it. Thank you too for your generosity to the Substack community.
I don't know if I am brave, it certainly doesn't feel that way. When I think about it, I realise that looking at climate change and misinformation and these other topics has made the anxiety more acute. But because I'm helping others to understand and taking my own personal actions, somehow it's also more manageable. At least it is at the moment.
I think you are right about the importance of that germ of hope. There's so much that is overwhelmingly tragic right now and they are all big systemic problems. Big systemic problems do need government-level solutions, but the "right here, right now" solutions are important too. Governments don't act out of common sense and public good. But they will act because a whole lot of people who they think might vote for them care about an issue, so it matters that people are talking about problems climate change and doing something about it themselves. I've come to believe that personal action does make a difference, whether it's an example like your lovely school dinner story or the changes we make to what we eat.
Love this year-end reflection! I do love that your writing is both theory and practice -- information that we can use and act on. I agree with Mike - I don't know how you do it and remain sane/optimistic, but I'm so glad that you do!
I have not said this anywhere in my posts, but 2022 was particularly rough for me. In fact, Substack was a way for me to express my frustration (And fascination) about the climate, while going thru my own personal struggles. For a nerd, nothing is more therapeutic than nerdy writing.
Your substack was the first one I found on this site, and your success gave me hope that maybe me writing online is not such a bad idea after all. In addition to all the issues that you cover, thank you for the inspiration you gave me (And continue to), although I am sure you had no idea :). I hope to see you continue writing for a long time to come!
Very thoughtful and honest.
I wish you a wonderful 2023. Your fight against climate change is tiny, brave and remarkable.
I like your approach to reducing dairy and meat. I’m trying to reduce both too but your approach of eating it if served by friends and family is a really good idea, reduces the awkwardness for everyone but most of the time you’re not eating it so it really reduces the amount of meat and dairy you eat. A friend also told me that he gave up dairy because of sea dead zones caused by runoff, I’m finding that quite convincing too
I really appreciate you writing this.
We both write about science, but I think you're braver than I am: I lean more into the 'what-if' side of things because looking harder at the violence wrought on our world by greed, corruption and stupidity is - necessary, to know what's going on, but also incredibly draining at a personal level. And also, there are folk - including you! - who are writing about these issues so well that I don't feel I have much to add.
But it's interesting how we all use our writing as a mixture of self-education and self-therapy, and those individual needs are a bit different for each of us. I think if I'd written with the level of attention you pay to climate change denial and anti-vaccination propaganda, I'd have burnt myself out! It's good to know that writing about these things has had a net-positive effect on you (which, as I said, makes me suspect you are a tougher cookie than I am)...
I think that's a big part of motivation - a little bit of hopefulness that makes us want to stand up and do something. That's what's so often missing from the big news stories: when you hear about something terrible happening in the world but the story doesn't suggest any way you can do something and get involved and maybe push the needle the other way...that must be a big part of the world news burnout it's so easy to feel. We're not designed to take in all this frustration and just sit motionless and silent with it.
(There was something here in the UK these last few weeks: a story on the BBC about a bunch of kids from low-income families at a school in northern England who couldn't afford to eat school meals, because they're not subsidised. I read it and it broke me a bit, so I contacted the school to make a donation - and it turned out that I was one of many hundreds of people who reacted the same way: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-63920547 The result was every child in that situation in that school will be getting free meals for the rest of the year. Really lovely to see. It's a systemic problem at the government level, and untangling that is a hell of a lot of work, but it's *also* a 'right here, right now' problem that can be addressed, and in this case, was addressed. A nice reminder.)
Also:
>>"if you are a friend or family member and you serve me meat or dairy, I will happily eat it. These changes are about what I buy myself.)"
I like this approach a lot. :) Might steal it.
Thanks for what you've done this year, Melanie.
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Mike. I really do appreciate it. Thank you too for your generosity to the Substack community.
I don't know if I am brave, it certainly doesn't feel that way. When I think about it, I realise that looking at climate change and misinformation and these other topics has made the anxiety more acute. But because I'm helping others to understand and taking my own personal actions, somehow it's also more manageable. At least it is at the moment.
I think you are right about the importance of that germ of hope. There's so much that is overwhelmingly tragic right now and they are all big systemic problems. Big systemic problems do need government-level solutions, but the "right here, right now" solutions are important too. Governments don't act out of common sense and public good. But they will act because a whole lot of people who they think might vote for them care about an issue, so it matters that people are talking about problems climate change and doing something about it themselves. I've come to believe that personal action does make a difference, whether it's an example like your lovely school dinner story or the changes we make to what we eat.
Love this year-end reflection! I do love that your writing is both theory and practice -- information that we can use and act on. I agree with Mike - I don't know how you do it and remain sane/optimistic, but I'm so glad that you do!
I have not said this anywhere in my posts, but 2022 was particularly rough for me. In fact, Substack was a way for me to express my frustration (And fascination) about the climate, while going thru my own personal struggles. For a nerd, nothing is more therapeutic than nerdy writing.
Your substack was the first one I found on this site, and your success gave me hope that maybe me writing online is not such a bad idea after all. In addition to all the issues that you cover, thank you for the inspiration you gave me (And continue to), although I am sure you had no idea :). I hope to see you continue writing for a long time to come!