Good reason to speak to climate deniers

It is unbelievable that there are still so many people who do not want to see and believe there is something terribly wrong with mother nature.

In 1988 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scientist James Hansen told the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that

“global warming has begun.”

Dr. Alexander St. John said

“Twenty years ago, it seems like we would talk about climate change as something that would happen over the coming generations — and all of a sudden it seems to be accelerating to the point where we’re all experiencing it in real time.”

People can not deny the seasons are not any more what they should be. In many countries the last few years have been abnormal weather situations with storms, floodings and droughts.

At last more recently there have come an overwhelming majority of climate scientists to agree that the climate crisis is caused by human behaviour. Though certain (mostly American) scientists and citizens do not believe human beings are the cause of changing temperatures. They may hear lots of bad newsreviews from climate impacted areas, but the many pictures seem not to convince them man can do something about it. Despite the many climate reports and news reports showing the climate crisis destroying lives across the planet, a worrying number of people still cling to the belief the climate crisis is not man-made, or even deny it exists.

But perhaps there might be some good hope, the situation improving. A total of 72 per cent of Britons think the climate crisis is a result of human activity, according to YouGov research.
Less than 10 years ago only half of people thought humanity was to blame.But 13 per cent believe the climate crisis is not due to human activity, and 3 per cent of people do not think the climate is changing at all. Strangely enough, they do not want to believe climate scientists who have noted that models have been accurately predicting the climate crisis for decades on end. They consider that fake news even when there are so much data.In the Summer of 2021 the IPCC report affirmed there are no factors beyond human control that prevent us from limiting the temperature rise.

Zeke Hausfather says:

For what its worth, we have been projecting future warming since the first climate models in the late 1960s/early 1970s. We can look back to see how well they have performed.

Two decades after many predictions we can see that those predictions became a reality, and even in some cases are worse than predicted, the global warming and its impact on climate change going faster than foreseen by many.

Multi-million pound disinformation campaigns from fossil fuel companies, the politicians who support them, and influential climate deniers like Jordan Peterson, purposefully discredit science and the human behaviours that impact our planet.

They all offer solace to those who – understandably – find it difficult to engage with climate science and the horrifying consequences humanity will face if action is not taken. A big problem is also that lots of people do not want to see that they would have to reduce their use of ‘tools of liberty’ such as their own car, air-conditioning, use of planes, travelling, a.o..

Furthermore we should show how certain people do a lot of damage to nature and misuse people. For example, we can see the hypocrisy of ccertain CEO’s, like American entrepreneur, media proprietor, investor, computer engineer, and commercial astronaut Jeff Bezos who went to the COP26 with his private jet to make an announcement about a $1 billion donation to plant trees — while across the Atlantic, he is building a $500 million superyacht. Bezos is not a climate saviour; he is a climate denier. Amazon’s carbon footprint is now larger than two thirds of all countries in the world. In 2020 alone, Amazon’s emissions grew by 19 percent to total more than 60 million metrics tons of CO2 — and this does not even account for Amazon’s work to provide web services to clients like Shell, Hess, and BP.

It is nice to hear that studies show that more and more people are accepting that climate change is real and that humans are causing it. This now transcends socio-political barriers.

“The climate crisis is no longer a ‘fear for the left wing’,”

said Megan Kennedy-Woodard is a coaching psychologist and co-founder of Climate Psychologists.

Her advice concerning people who struggle to accept the scientific consensus on the climate crisis, is to approach conversations with climate deniers with “curiosity and compassion”.

She advises:

“Look for the common ground. The best thing we can do is speak to the human.

“There is a great opportunity to reframe climate action as something that is unifying and enjoyable, not something scary but empowering. Then people will feel more open and less defensive about it. Don’t tell people what to do and think, show them how great it is.”

Finding out what people’s priorities and problems are and offering to help with solutions is a great way of initiating change, Kennedy-Woodard adds.

For example, if they have children you can suggest litter picking at the local play park, or if they are struggling with energy bills help them find practical ways to keep costs down.

“Once we start people thinking about how engaging with the climate crisis can benefit them in the short term, it’s likely that it won’t stop there,”

she said.

I do believe we have to keep talking about the way we live and how this may impact our environment. We should show more how matters are changing in their own surroundings and wonder if it would not be possible that them themselves to take action to have more green around and clean places. Also, by asking more about the economic impact, like gas and electricity prices, or things they feel in their purse, and questioning what the politicians are doing to make their life more pleasant.

We can point them to environmental studies on small dust particles in the air and how they cause more illnesses in children, and how reducing pollution can improve the quality of life.

Also the Climate Reality Project, founded by former US Vice President and climate activist Al Gore, says asking climate deniers questions can help keep them open to the possibility of change, instead of making them feel lectured or judged.

In a blog entry, the organisation states:

“Asking questions can also invite them to ask themselves how they came to believe what they do and why they still do, opening the door to the possibility of changing their own mind.

“By asking questions and learning what their concerns are, it can help you find points of middle ground where you may agree. For example, wanting a better planet for your kids, safe drinking water, and concerns about extreme weather in your area.

“Finding this common ground gives you the chance to connect on a human level and can help your family member see the conversation as a discussion between two people on the same team, instead of an argument between opposing sides.”

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