A sentiment I’ve seen from some is: “Why correct people who overexaggerate climate impacts? It’s an emergency. The message should be extreme to motivate more action.”

Unfortunately, I feel doomism can inadvertently discourage climate activism. (THREAD)

(Photo is of me in 2014)

It’s been ~14 yrs now since I became involved with climate activism in high school. I got started by trying to persuade teachers + parents to source their home electricity from renewables. I was arrested in Spring 2014 in front of the White House protesting Keystone XL. (1)

I’ve been involved in two university divestment mvmts, gone on student lobbying visits to Senate staff, helped block a proposed on-campus natural gas plant at @dukeU, and organized groups for more climate marches than I can keep track of... (2) https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/05/duke-university-jumping-moving-bar-history-push-fossil-fuel-divestment-climate-change

As much as climate activism has grown in past yrs, some things haven’t changed:

1 Most citizens are passive, not actively involved.
2 Even among those active, involvement can be ephemeral, fleeting, inconsistent
3 Most organizing gets done by a few super-activists (3)

This is not surprising. At the end of the day, apart from the dedicated few that make it a profession, climate activism is something one does after classes, around errands, on weekends, once the work shift ends. It’s something extra, managed around life’s other obligations. (4)

Unfortunately we’re only human, and so for the average rank-and-file activist if we’re feeling burned out or a little down on a given day, we might not pick up the phone to yell at our elected reps or put our shoes back on to head off to that night’s planning meeting. (5)

This isn’t because they don’t “really” care about climate change. I’ve met so, so, so many people my age who genuinely do care, but for a range of reasons end up disappearing from weekly meetings and fading out of group chats. (6)

This is the 1st place I feel climate doomism is hurtful. Activists DO care about climate change + ARE worried about it. That’s what motivated them to act to begin with. But telling people their children might not live to grow up tends to kill motivation not nurture it. (7)

Suggesting that a cataclysm of tipping points will roar into being after a decade, killing billions over the course of a few more decades makes the avg person want to crawl into bed and cry, not leap into the streets.

It’s also extremely scientifically inaccurate. (8)

I’m an earth scientist. I know when I see a statement that’s false. Heck, I’ve committed key references for many climate impacts to memory at this point.

Even when I read a claim that I KNOW is wrong, it’s STILL demoralizing. It STILL makes my heart sink. (9)

When you make an obstacle seem higher in front of a human being, it tends to make them less motivated to start climbing, not more. This is why procrastination exists - it’s a coping mechanism, a means of avoidance.

We can’t procrastinate climate action. (10)

I don’t have data to prove it, but I suspect that many ordinary climate activists I’ve known that ended up going inactive simply concluded their actions didn’t matter, the problem was too big, and most importantly they were dealing with enough other things in life. (11)

At the same time, many of the relatively passive majority of young people are choosing not to participate in climate mvmts not because they don’t care or don’t believe in climate change, but because they lack hope and don’t see themselves as being able to change anything. (12)

Since I began studying earth science, too many friends for me to count have asked me “So how screwed are we?” or “Do you really think we humans can act in time to stop climate change?” They’re AWARE that ice sheets are melting, that permafrost is thawing. (13)

And let’s not forget that we are dealing with A LOT right now. COVID-19. Racial injustice. Economic recession amidst already-high inequality. The organized hatred of far-right leaders and parties.

Young folks are especially drained and lacking for hope as it is. (14)

The impression of inevitability is paralyzing.

There’s a reason why some voices historically opposed to climate action are now shifting their positions and arguing that it’s now too late to do anything. They're counting on that paralyzing effect. (15)

When it comes to retaining activist energy or inspiring newcomers, I really do feel that climate doomism does harm.

The fact that it’s often scientifically misleading, rooted in misinterpretations of cherrypicked worst-case outcomes also makes it objectively wrong. (16)

Don’t get me wrong. The scientific consensus on climate change is grim. I’m not suggesting we sugarcoat climate change either. If the truth makes one’s heart sink, then it is what it is.

We just have to strive to overcome those feelings. (17)

But increasing the emotional burden on people by exaggerating projected climate impacts in ways that are not consistent with what research findings conclude is not only counterproductive but in my view inhumane. (18)

And currently the truth is still encouraging - we can still prevent the loss of large parts of the Amazon. We can still avoid a huge majority of permafrost carbon release. We can still prevent meters of sea level rise over the next several centuries. (19)

Saying this isn’t trivializing the threat in any way but emphasizing we have agency. Everything we do now makes tomorrow’s world a better place, potentially saving lives + livelihoods. We can advance technology, reduce air pollution, create new economic opportunity. (20)

Doesn’t that last tweet lift your heart + make you perk up a bit? There’s a reason why the forward-thinking framing of the Green New Deal has sparked unprecedented youth support.

The challenge is grim, but there is hope + reason for resolve. Now that’s a winning attitude. (END)