Key Takeaways:
- Many of the key changes we need have to be driven at a government level but that doesn't happen unless there is enough political support within the system... engagement from the general public is therefore vital
- The general pubic are not at fault for the lack engagement to date for the following reasons:
- Many of the key changes we need have to be driven at a government level but that doesn't happen unless there is enough political support within the system... engagement from the general public is therefore vital
- The general pubic are not at fault for the lack engagement to date for the following reasons:
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Communication from government- as they did for the Coronavirus pandemic, governments have a responsibility to clearly communicate the scientific advice to the public... this has been done poorly to date.
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Confusing/ mixed messages- there is still lots of misinformation/inconsistent information on climate change.
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A naturally unappealing topic- climate change is a naturally unappealing topic to look into.
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Communication from environmental groups- has often been unengaging.
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Why individuals are NOT responsible for a lack of engagement
The problem...
One of the single biggest problems is that the mainstream scientific advice is not being followed by governments all around the world. Fossil fuel subsidies and regulatory barriers that hinder the transition to Net Zero are commonplace in many countries still (including the UK).
One of the single biggest problems is that the mainstream scientific advice is not being followed by governments all around the world. Fossil fuel subsidies and regulatory barriers that hinder the transition to Net Zero are commonplace in many countries still (including the UK).
The advice is simple...
Climate scientists have been increasingly clear for more than 30 years that we need to decarbonise our economies and societies (i.e. transition away from fossil fuels as our main energy source). Although they’re starting to peak, annual carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have gone up significantly almost every year for the last 30 (with a slight drop in emissions due to COVID-19). We continue to decarbonise much slower than basically all scientists advise.
Climate scientists have been increasingly clear for more than 30 years that we need to decarbonise our economies and societies (i.e. transition away from fossil fuels as our main energy source). Although they’re starting to peak, annual carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have gone up significantly almost every year for the last 30 (with a slight drop in emissions due to COVID-19). We continue to decarbonise much slower than basically all scientists advise.
The advice is not being followed because...
Scientific advice isn’t being followed due to a lack of political support for suggested measures, which is a result of poor levels of understanding and engagement around this topic. Here’s why individuals are NOT to blame for that lack of engagement...
Scientific advice isn’t being followed due to a lack of political support for suggested measures, which is a result of poor levels of understanding and engagement around this topic. Here’s why individuals are NOT to blame for that lack of engagement...
Reason 1...
The general public shouldn’t have to read a long and highly technical IPCC report to wrap their heads around the key info we need in order to make informed decisions. Governments have received clear advice that we need to be more ambitious in decarbonising and they have a responsibility to communicate to the public a) what that advice is and b) why it’s important (as they did for coronavirus).
The lack of airtime devoted to this issue by governments historically always led me to assume that it couldn’t be that serious… surely they’d know best?
The general public shouldn’t have to read a long and highly technical IPCC report to wrap their heads around the key info we need in order to make informed decisions. Governments have received clear advice that we need to be more ambitious in decarbonising and they have a responsibility to communicate to the public a) what that advice is and b) why it’s important (as they did for coronavirus).
The lack of airtime devoted to this issue by governments historically always led me to assume that it couldn’t be that serious… surely they’d know best?
Why are they doing such a poor job of communicating this issue?
a) Almost all political systems have short-term biases, in democracies that’s mostly due to short election cycles. Chucking resources at fixing a long term issue is going to divert them from other deserving, more immediate causes… which does little to get you re-elected.
b) The issues and trade offs around climate change, in some ways, are extremely complicated and few of our politicians have the time or interest to develop a deep understanding of them. Often they fail to engage themselves. They are human, like the rest of us.
c) The fossil fuel industry is enormously powerful and there is little doubt they continue to be influential in slowing the transition away from fossil fuels. This is mostly through lobbying, political donations and misinformation campaigns… the extent to which is only just starting to become clear.
Reason 2…
This isn’t naturally the most appealing topic of conversation.
Reason 3…
There’s a huge amount of misinformation, or inconsistent information on climate change, resulting in mixed/confusing messages. I.e. it’s a minefield knowing what or who to believe, and that’s not the general public's fault.
Reason 4…
Communication from many environmental groups has been unengaging, sometimes even irritating.
Regardless of the causes, the lack of engagement is a real problem and we need to find ways of addressing it. Part 2 makes the case that reducing our individual carbon footprints should NOT be the emphasis when it comes to solving climate change!
Reason 2…
This isn’t naturally the most appealing topic of conversation.
Reason 3…
There’s a huge amount of misinformation, or inconsistent information on climate change, resulting in mixed/confusing messages. I.e. it’s a minefield knowing what or who to believe, and that’s not the general public's fault.
Reason 4…
Communication from many environmental groups has been unengaging, sometimes even irritating.
Regardless of the causes, the lack of engagement is a real problem and we need to find ways of addressing it. Part 2 makes the case that reducing our individual carbon footprints should NOT be the emphasis when it comes to solving climate change!