Survey Confirms the Need for Climate Optimism
And Michael Mann says there's still reasons for CLIMATE HOPE
With COP28 approaching later this month I thought it fitting to hone in on some of the climate optimism I’ve come across lately. And by »climate optimism« you know I mean finding all the reasons we have to take action on climate change.
Sitting back and thinking it’ll all be okay is not climate optimism. That’s toxic positivity. And it’s important to know the difference.
But even in our actions, we need some sort of reassurance from time to time that showing up is still worth the effort. That is why I love articles like this one in Positive News. The article highlights Michael Mann’s recent book where he writes that there is still much hope for our future and that we have a lot to learn — and pull hope from — in the Earth’s past.
The Reasons For Climate Hope Are:
The Earth has shown signs of resilience in the past which points to that our planet can regulate itself to a certain degree of cooling or warming, as long as it’s not pushed too hard — including by us.
Rumors of climate doom are exaggerated. People who say it’s too late to act because we’ll be experiencing runaway warming from melting permafrost are not correct. We have not seen evidence of any such events today.
Climate models are accurate — and they all point to the fact that there’s still hope! We CAN turn this around and our reasons for acting have never been stronger.
We are making progress. Prior to the Paris Agreement in 2015, we were looking at something like 4C warming. Now, because of the efforts already put in place, we’re looking at below 3C, and we can continue to bring that number down if we get ever more serious about our efforts to phase out fossil fuels.
There is urgency, but there’s agency too:
“We can still keep warming below the 1.5C danger level. The obstacles aren’t physical or technological. They are entirely political. And political obstacles can be overcome if we all make a commitment to act. We can still preserve our fragile moment”
— Positive News
Getting Picky About The Degrees
However, it’s important to remember that how many degrees of warming we experience in the next few decades is important. This recent article in NewScientist urges (on behalf of scientists) that the COP28 target stays at 1.5 degrees Celsius. A 2-degree temperature increase, they say, would mean losing most of the world’s ice sheets which will lead to catastrophic sea-level rise.
In fact, the difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees means life and death, home and no home, for some of the world’s most climate-exposed nations. So although we shouldn’t get too stuck on the degrees (because even if we surpass 1.5, 1.7 is still better than 2, etc) it is important we get picky in the target we set.
Let’s not get too loosey-goosey about these climate goals just because we’ve started to slowly get used to a warmer world!
Why We Must Remain (Cautiously) Optimistic About COP28
Following all I just said, this article in Wired by Environmental Data Scientist Hannah Ritchie (who has an amazing Substack, by the way) points to the fact that although it’s easy to get frustrated by the lack of momentum at these COPs, there is still change happening. And that change, no matter how frustratingly small, is worth building upon.
Hannah specifically points out that in the few years since COP21, the world of sustainability has changed — a lot:
“What made me so pessimistic in 2015 was that tackling climate change was going to be prohibitively expensive… This trade-off no longer exists in many sectors, and it is eroding in others.”
From Fear to Optimism: Survey Confirms Need for More Solutions Approach to Climate Journalism
This topic is SO close to my heart for me! (So close, in fact, that this is what Amanda Yarnell and I focused our lecture on at the Harvard Youth Summit this summer.) A recent special report from Edelman showed that climate change is becoming more personal and that for communicators, optimism and solutions are key to action!
I mention this a lot in my talks — more awareness (especially when induced with fear) does not necessarily lead to action. Many times, the opposite happens as people get overwhelmed and stuck in a place of disempowerment and fear.
Therefore, I’m so glad this report highlights just this so that we hopefully can start seeing some new narratives on this front moving forward. Because (spoiler alert) if you think there’s cause for optimism, people are more likely to take action:
“Climate optimists are more likely to say treaties, like the Paris Agreement, will help address climate change, they are more likely to have put pressure on family and friends to live more climate-friendly lives, and they are more likely to have contacted government officials urging them to enact climate policies.”
What I’ve Been Up To Lately
I recently returned from a trip to Budapest where I had the absolute honor of giving not just one lecture, but two, at the Moholy-Magy University of Art and Design. Kicking off their new program MOME Zero which puts them on the map of becoming the first net carbon-neutral higher education institution in Hungary by 2030, I also spoke at a tree-planting event where their first-year students participated in planting 20,000 tree saplings near the city of Garabon.
It is so inspiring to see institutions like these taking real action toward becoming a climate ally to be reckoned with, both in terms of progressive programming and in inspiring their students to become agents of change.
Climate Highlight!
I recently came across this new app that allows you to calculate your social media carbon footprint and (should you feel so inclined) offset that footprint. As someone who relies heavily on getting my word out there, this new service came as sunshine in my day. Thank you Carbon Fingerprint for tackling such an important and many times overlooked issue!