Not the Michael Mann I expected, but still worth the read for the optimism.
Michael Mann: Yes, we can still stop the worst effects of climate change. Here's why.
Submitted 1 year ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to earthscience@mander.xyz
Submitted 1 year ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to earthscience@mander.xyz
Not the Michael Mann I expected, but still worth the read for the optimism.
YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
We need more of these academic style articles that push a more optimistic outlook. The constant bombardment of (understandably) negative messages around the climate crisis risks making change appear hopeless, and motivation to change a trait to be ridiculed in the face of ‘realistic’ models of collapse. We need to be kept informed of all aspects of the challenge - negative and positive, to ensure expectations are kept unsentimental and rational.
jadero@mander.xyz 1 year ago
The pessimism I experience and most frequently encounter has nothing to do with the scientific or even the technical possibility of dealing with the problem, but the social and political.
We’ve known of the need to do something since the mid-1980s and earlier. Before internet! I gave my first presentation on anthropogenic climate change (when it was still known as global warming) to my high school’s science club in 1973.
We know what we need to do. We know the majority of how to do it. And we’ve known the what and how for almost as long as we’ve been aware of the need.
My pessimism arises from the fact that those who are greedy for power, resources, and/or money are also, by definition, selfish assholes who tolerate nothing that affects their agenda and who have the resources to con the general public into following their agenda.
YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Sure, I can understand that. I think maybe I didn’t explain myself particularly well. I was mostly referring to the discourse you tend to get online, including Lemmy, where any even vaguely positive climate/environment news is dog-piled by comments stating how it’s not enough, won’t work or is otherwise ‘actually a bad thing™’.
We have been so saturated with negative news around climate change etc that anything to the contrary is seen as obviously false. It’s exhausting, and risks drowning any positivity and motivation under a torrent of defeatism. It also becomes a convenient scapegoat, facilitating the excuse of doing nothing under the guise of ‘well, we’re all doomed so why bother even trying?’. That isn’t the kind of false reasoning we can afford to foster.
Im obviously not advocating that we bury our head in the sand and pretend everything is fine, but we do need more fairly balanced reporting to ensure that everyone stays informed, and that optimism and positivity can be used to encourage and motivate, rather than trying to replace that with fear, hopelessness and depression. Fuck knows there’s enough of that about as it is.