Wednesday February 26th… Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing post will be to track United States extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials)😉
Main Topic: Communicating The Right Message To Combat Climate Change
Dear Diary. As I’ve stated often on this blog 2020 is a crucial year in American politics. Should Trump win it will be nearly impossible for the U.S. to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accords during the 2020s and thus keeping the planet’s average temperature below +2.0C below preindustrial conditions. Many climate communicators have stated that we only have about ten years to reign in emissions such that we won’t use up our carbon budget, setting off alarms in many circles. So, what should we be stating to limit the climate problem?
Yesterday I stumbled upon this tweet by a young climate scientist, which I think sets the proper tone:
Let’s dissect Dr. Gill’s message a bit. First, we can dismiss those that say that there is no climate problem or that the problem is not that bad, such as German activist Naomi Seibt, the “Anti-Greta.” On the other side of the spectrum we have such figures as David Wallace-Wells, the author of the Uninhabitable Earth published in 2017, which contains an excruciating alarmist message. I agree with Dr. Gill that we should be laser focused on the truth here, framing our response to the climate crisis as a matter of harm reduction, focusing on what is possible in the next few years. After all, that is what my life’s work has been about, identifying a new measure via record temperature research to aid with communication, thus lessening the ramifications from carbon pollution, pulling more people towards activism to keep the globe’s temperature as low as possible.
All of this is a rather heavy lift, but we should agree that even if the globe’s average temperature goes above +2.0C above preindustrial conditions due to natural tipping point factors kicking in, some concrete things can be done so that David Wallace-Wells vision will not become a reality. A certain bit of alarmism, as touted by such scientists as renowned scientist Dr. Michael Mann, is a good thing, spurring many to action. Too much, though, and many will become defeatists, doing nothing, being resigned to a doomed climate fate that at this time looks very preventable.
I like these six points on communication, not just for the climate issue, but for the “climate of communication.” These points are fairly typical coming out of corporate human resources departments:
So in conclusion, I would write that all those in such organizations as Climate Reality, which I am a part of, and youth organizations, such as the Sunrise Movement, should keep doing their part and not lose heart. Worldwide, to be honest, we are at a point in history in which climate activism is at levels that I thought would not occur until about the year 2030. We are getting ahead of the climate problem as science messaging is sinking through to just about all segments of the world population. Technologically as of 2020 we know how to electrify every bit of our transportation, manufacturing, and energy producing infrastructure. Let’s roll up our sleeves and do the hard work necessary this decade for a bright, green future ahead for generations to come.
Here is some more weather and climate news from Wednesday:
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Guy Walton “The Climate Guy”