From Numbers to Narratives
A new way of talking about life within planetary boundaries
As I gaze at the reflection of myself in the bedroom mirror, I know that I had reached my tipping point. And sure enough, a second later, a single tear starts making its way down my cheek.
What do I do now?
Do I just give up?
Would it be OK if I just stood up and walked out?
A lot of thoughts flush through my mind as I sit there, gazing. My eyes dead and my mind blank. Breathing, but barely there. Tired, no — exhausted. Feelings of helplessness.
The seconds go by so slow but the past hour seemed to have just disappeared before me. My oatmeal is getting cold on the kitchen counter while my hunger has turned to hanger and then back to just hunger again. And now indifference.
Food doesn’t matter anymore. Not until we find a way to end this.
I take a deep breath and do the only thing I can do. I try again. Because I have strength inside me I didn’t know existed before and this too, we shall overcome.
So I get up, I put on a smile, and I walk over to her again.
Hi sweetie, it’s OK, mommy’s here.
Man, they sure don’t prepare you for dealing with a teething baby.
This was my very overdramatic way of saying that hey guys, I’m a bit tired! Teeths coming in hot over here and it’s not joke! 😅 Of course I could’ve told you this in one short sentence but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as impactful. Storytelling is incredibly powerful and this week we’ll discuss the role storytelling ought to play in our work for climate justice.
A couple of weeks ago we talked about how we shouldn’t bring facts and figures to an emotional fight. If you haven’t read that one already, I highly recommend giving it a read. (I also put it together in this Instagram post with some cute animals that is highly shareable.)
This week (because of teething baby and lack of sleep), I will redirect our focus to this incredible article by Per Grankvist, researcher at the Viable Cities program at the Royal School of Technology in Stockholm.
From numbers to narratives — a new way of talking about life within planetary boundaries
Here are some excerpts that are worth highlighting — maybe even tweeting? If you do tweet any of these quotes, make sure to tag @pergranvist. If you also want to tag me, I’m @annetherese_G
When people fail to comprehend an explanation of what progress or a planned project looks like, I’ve often heard them say, “Show me the numbers!” As if I was a magician to explain an act of reality-distorting illusion and as if numbers aren’t able to distort reality themselves. As the old joke goes, remember that 28.6 percent of all statistics are made up!
After all, the human brain is not a computer. “It’s a story processor”
Presenting facts as numbers, graphs, charts, and figures seems to have surprisingly little impact when it comes to igniting change in people. Even though you may attribute great value and importance to the data presented to you, acting accordingly does not automatically follow. This psychological phenomenon at play is called the “value-action gap”.
Rather the opposite seems true: the more rooted in science your argument is, the less likely you are to move someone to act. Or to put it in simpler terms, the more factual you are, the more boring you may be.
It certainly doesn’t help that zero-emission lifestyles often are presented in a zero emotional way, as a green utopia where food is vegan, cars are shared, and everything is local. To some people, that sounds more like a dystopia where burgers will be forbidden, your car will be taken away, and where one will never again be able to fly to Spain.
As you might understand, this entire article speaks my language!
Make sure you check it out
For more resources on how to communicate climate change in a positive way, check out:
Let’s talk about climate change
How activism fuels happiness hormones
Shifting the narrative on your footprint
It’s not your responsibility to fix the world
Don’t bring facts and figures to an emotional fight
Climate Optimism
BIG WINS this week: UN reaches new historic high seas agreement on protecting the world’s oceans — a “breakthrough” after nearly two decades of talks!
“Already being referred to as the ‘High Seas Treaty’, the legal framework would place 30 per cent of the world’s oceans into protected areas, put more money into marine conservation, and covers access to and use of marine genetic resources.”
Read all about the good news here.
Help Regenerate America!
In 1937, President Roosevelt wrote "The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." The Dust Bowl had ravaged the nation, and four years earlier, he had signed into law the first farm bill, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, to ensure that farmers were supported and Americans were fed in those most trying times.
Nearly a century later, we are once again facing agricultural and climatic disasters, but we know the solution: regenerative agriculture. By investing in soil health programs and supporting farmers and ranchers in their work to rebuild and restore healthy soils, we can create a better food and agriculture system for all Americans, and for the future.
These days, we like to say, "A nation that rebuilds its soils, rebuilds itself."