The Climate Change Culprit: Could it be you?

I think it is about time to head back to the major subject in hand; that one topic which encompasses and feeds off all of the rest; climate change.

For those of us who struggle to stick to our anti-climate change resolutions (it saddens me to say that I quite regularly fall into this category) and those of us who just can't seem to be able to take that one extra step towards sustainability (be it eating less meat & dairy, going zero-waste or switching to commuting by bike) this article unveils some interesting finds about human psychology and the power of society.

A study funded by the European Union's Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020, the following was discovered and then written in Leo Barasi's recent article for The Guardian:

"In most European countries, about three-quarters of the public say they’re worried about climate change, yet less than a third would accept higher taxes on fossil fuels to cut emissions."

Barasi calls this 'climate change apathy' (apathy being a lack of concern for things that others find moving or exciting and climate change being, well, I hope you know).

Again, I feel the need to point out that I cannot thoroughly verify these 'facts.' For now at least, I would like to believe that the EU would produce some relatively reliable statistics, however, we cannot rely on them 100%. There could be some methodological errors - the research included 380,000 completed interviews; do you think this is enough to be representative of the 508 million people living within the EU? Our human nature loves rhetorics and shocking statistics and it is quite possible that the report has 'stretched the truth' for some political advantage. Or, perhaps not. Perhaps I have. Perhaps unconsciously.

Barasi, author of The Climate Majority, summaries several explanations for the pervasiveness of climate change apathy, three of which I have outlined below:

  • "Climate change is exactly the kind of threat our minds aren’t equipped to worry about." 

A few hundred thousand years ago, the human brain was evolving. The main focus of our ancestors? Survival. Always alert for potential predators or prey, the need to deal with the now was our main focus. The future was the future - not to be dwelled upon at present.
As a result, modern humans struggle to cope with any concept of something bad happening in the future. Barasi talks of 'Optimism bias.' If you've ever had to sit exams or had strict deadlines posed on you, I'm sure you're familiar with procrastination and it's accompanying phrase "it'll all be ok" blurring the fact that you have left a week's load of work to the day before it's due. This is optimism bias and Barasi says that it makes it easier for people to believe that a looming, threatening event won't affect them. In today's context, I would go further and argue that optimism bias continues to exist among many of us who have come to terms with the idea that climate change will inevitably affect us. Surrounded by the vast array of new professions and advancing technologies, it makes it so much easier for us to believe that someone else has a solution. So much easier to believe that someone else will solve our problems.

Related image
Quote from Robert Swan OBE
Source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/460563499384559359/

  • "Cutting emissions requires people to trust authorities" 
Barasi states that only a third of the UK's population trust the government; the people who are in the greatest power to shape the society we live in and influence our choices. When you couple this with the fact that society and it's 'societal rhythms' shape so much of our daily patterns, making it harder for individuals to commit to living more sustainable lifestyles as their choices are restricted by the intangible presence of 'the society,' can we really blame the individual? Can we really blame the government when they are acting on our behalf? The more we realise that climate change is as much of a social issue as environmental and economic, the more confusing it becomes and the more paralysed we are feeling.
  • "The sucker effect."
You know that draining of motivation you get when others aren't "pulling their weight?" Well, turns out it's a scientifically recognised phenomenon. The idea that others are "freeloading on our efforts" spreads like a disease in the climate change arena. Especially so when the most polluting economy in the world declares that they are pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord.

Despite our best intentions, these innately human issues continue to plague us. This was made ever more present last Monday when the IPCC released as new report stating that we should aim for a maximum anthropogenic temperature rise of 1.5°C. In Paris, the industrialised nations pledged to keep to a 2°C rise. We are likely to reach that 1.5°C in the only 12 years and are currently on track for a minimum rise of 4°C by then end of this century if we do not dramatically cut back on carbon emissions.

Just a week after this report, the UK makes a return to fracking; providing the nation with more fossil fuels.

However, I do feel that there is a lot more hope to be shared than Barasi makes out; all over the world, grassroots socio-environmental movements are gaining support. Take Amazon Watch, for example. Indigenous tribes are collaborating and campaigning to protect the rainforest which sustains both them, us and the wider world. In 2017, the People's Climate March brought tens of thousands of people from all backgrounds into streets all over the world. Times are changing here.

It's time to break free from this climate change paralysis. Our ability to fight such a major global issue is routed in society. In us. Yet, isn't that empowering? We have seen throughout history how society can morph and adapt to changes - we people are surprisingly resilient when needs must. The power to shape the societal rhythms and, ultimately, the sustainability of the world lies within the people. Each one of us has the capacity to break the chain and stand out from the autonomous crowd. Proclaim that a 3°C limit is irresponsible. Declare that a 1.5°C limit is achievable. Demonstrate to those around you, so that they feel empowered to demonstrate to those around them, that a more sustainable world is achievable.

H _ M
    :)

Bibliography:
https://twitter.com/leobarasi
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/05/climate-change-apathy-not-denial-threat-planet
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/apathy?s=t
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/07/trump-climate-change-threat-caribbean-islands-warning
https://www.edelman.co.uk/magazine/posts/edelman-trust-barometer-2018/
https://discoversociety.org/2016/01/05/are-we-too-busy-to-be-sustainable/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-paris-climate-agreement-live-news
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/31/planet-will-warm-4c-2100-climate
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/15/fracking-in-uk-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-controversial
https://amazonwatch.org/about
https://peoplesclimate.org/

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