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Emotions run deep. People are divided on climate change because “emotions are engaged deeply,” says climate scientist—and evangelical Christian—Katharine Hayhoe, who is known for bridging ideological divides. “People on the right, for example, deeply fear losing their liberties because of climate solutions.” For others already acting on climate change, despair can settle in when they realize that the problem is too big for any individual to fix. That’s why we should consider how we influence those around us, Hayhoe explains. Your decision to eat a plant-based burger, for instance, might make your friends want to try one, too. [NYT] |
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A disaster-stricken US. In 2021, extreme weather linked to climate change struck more than 800 US counties, reaching 40% of the country’s population, a new study shows. Global warming “has loaded the weather dice against us,” observes Hayhoe, one of the climate scientists quoted in this article. Last year alone, heat waves affected at least 80% of Americans. Flash floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters killed 656 people and caused more than $100 billion in damages. [WaPo] |
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Connecting the dots. One of the biggest reasons people don’t act on climate change is “psychological distance,” says Hayhoe, who serves as chief scientist of the Nature Conservancy and whose latest book is Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. “Even those of us who are concerned about it still think it’s an issue for the future, for people far away, or for people … who hug trees,” Hayhoe adds. But if we connect the dots between what people already care about and how climate change affects them, we can reach “a surprising agreement” about how to work together, she contends. |
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Getting past fear. Many of us are paralyzed by fear or think we’re too insignificant to truly make a difference about the changing climate, Hayhoe says. But, as with the civil-rights movement or women getting the vote, the world changed radically when “ordinary, relatively insignificant people … used their voices to call for that better world, to advocate for change.” For a lively discussion on science, faith, and human psychology—and on how small conversations can have astonishing results—read the full interview. |
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| — Edited by Belinda Yu |
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