As a college student who has been studying the environment for the past three years, I have simultaneously become more pessimistic and optimistic about solving climate change. On the one hand we have a lot of tools at our disposal to deal with climate change, yet on the other, those with the most power to do anything about it seem to lack the willpower and bravery to put climate over profit. A study by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) found that from 2010 to 2018 hope about climate change has declined, while worry has increased in the United States. The best antidote to despair is climate optimism.
Climate optimism is “having hope for the environment despite the relentlessly grim news that surround us.” Beyond that, it is also the “determination to prevent the worst of its consequences through persistence, collaboration, and creativity.” Determination in the face of fear is a challenge. It is much easier to deem that we’re doomed and to choose to no longer care. It is much more taxing to continue to mobilize and push for change in increasingly dire situations. The same YPCCC study shows that while worry indicates concern for the environment, hope is linked to a higher likelihood of taking climate action. In other words, we are only doomed if we choose to believe we are.
So how do we cultivate climate optimism and hope amidst grim news? Besides continuing to remind ourselves that progress is being made, it is choosing to believe that despite our small roles as individuals, our actions do matter. Not that we as individuals will single-handedly change the world, but that we have the power to inspire a culture of caring about the environment.
More than half of those who think that global warming is important “rarely” or “never” talk about it with family and friends. Climate action, however, looks different for everyone. As such, everyone’s ability and capacity to contribute to climate action is also different. So when starting a conversation climate change, be careful not to have an agenda. For example, whenever I talk about my choice to become vegetarian, I try not to make others feel like they should also go vegetarian. But by initiating such conversations, you might be planting the seed to get friends and family to start reflecting on their own relationship with climate change. You can play a pivotal role; a 2013 survey found that “Americans say that family and friends have the greatest ability to convince them to take action on climate change.”
Try sparking a conversation about the environment with a friend or family member, especially one who is indifferent to the climate. Maybe it’ll be a little awkward, or uncomfortable, or maybe they’ll try to push back. But try to understand their point of view. Then, help them understand yours. After all, I don’t think I can name anyone who wants to live in a polluted world. From there, find some common ground and spark hope. I believe that we can create a culture where, as climate psychologist Jessica Kleczka said, we can “touch people’s hearts, spark outrage and hope in equal measure, and rekindle the fierce love we all have for our beautiful planet and its people.” And it starts with one uncomfortable conversation at a time, an invitation to live by our beliefs despite the status quo, and a goal to find common ground on our broken, beautiful Earth.
Resources on how to have productive conversations:
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Attaining Meaningful Outcomes from Conversations on Climate
Yale Climate Connections, Finding common ground amid climate controversy