Why We Need to Talk More About the Climate Crisis
We can all agree that it is not the most fun to talk about the climate change. No matter how concerned or opinionated you are, there is an unspoken reluctance and hesitation when it comes to these important discussions. You probably don’t want to sound like the stereotypical tedious nerd who keeps blabbing on about the boring topics that no one is really interested in to begin with. You would much rather talk about something more exciting like the new football season or the new Hollywood gossip everyone seems to be talking about.
Why exactly are we not talking enough about the climate crisis? Today when the scientists are literally screaming at us, informing us of the changes that we need to make in order to secure our future. Part of the reason why the climate change discussion forum can become uncomfortable and even toxic is because of the different ways people handle crisis and risk. While some people feel more comfortable with risk and demand proper evidence before they can be convinced to take action, others are not exactly keen to take risk under severe circumstances.
You do not have to wear a superhuman costume to become a hero and savior. A simple act of creating channels of important conversation surrounding the climate crisis can kickstart a feedback mechanism steering people in towards a better awareness and understanding. Just like with any other topic, you get to learn new things, concepts, and ideas when talking to your friends and family members, talking about the climate change is going to help people learn important facts and induce some level of curiosity in them. People will consequently become more aware of the scientific consensus, and will realize that the climate crisis is an actual problem and is one of the biggest ones that we are facing right now. As people start to belief that there is an urgency, they are more likely to pass on that knowledge and insight to others and it therefore becomes a loop of information.
You might not think that you are making a difference by creating a climate change discussion forum, however, think of it as a snowball effect. The people who you talk to will become more aware of the climate crisis and as a result will go on to engage with other people with the same level of expertise and concern. Therefore, in a way, you have started a cycle of feedback and information flow through different circles and groups of people. Soon enough the magnitude of this discussion and prevailing concern starts to widen and reach its impact on the influential bodies and political figures. At the end, it all comes down to how much of a threat we perceive climate change to be and how far are we willing to go to take the right action.
Humans are social beings and the actions that we take collectively as communities, lays the foundation for norms and culture. All throughout the history, there are many magnificent examples of changes that took place as a result of a communal outburst and a collective effort of raising awareness. The idea here is to reach out to as many people as possible and create a voice big enough to reach the policymakers.
