I was having lunch with friends a while back and when the conversation shifted to my research. I explained how I was studying the way coastal communities perceive nature-based infrastructure as a possible replacement for hard infrastructure in areas experiencing flooding and erosion. I mentioned that the increase in flooding and erosion was due in part to impacts from climate change. As soon as I said the term, the conversation lulled. There were polite nods, some awkward silence, and the conversation shifted. Since then, I’ve been asking myself, how can I have non-divisive conversations about climate change?
Before digging into peoples’ perceptions about climate change, it’s important we define the term. Climate change refers to long term shifts in weather patterns and temperature, which can be natural or driven by human activities. Beginning in the 1800s, with fossil fuel burning, human activities have become the main driver of climate change. In the beginning, climate change was viewed solely from an environmental perspective, focusing on the idea that changes to the natural environment would impact different species. However, with the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, attitudes shifted. What was once a scientific issue became a political and economic issue. Specifically in the United States, companies in sectors like oil and gas sought to avoid restrictions on fossil fuel usage by shaping cultural attitudes about the climate and climate change and they continue to do so today.
At least partially as a result, the phrase climate change is almost never neutral. It can feel like people are either deeply supportive of the idea or adamantly opposed. Often, when looking for more information, we hear or read about the loudest and most public-facing cases. For example, late last year climate activists with the group Just Stop Oil threw cans of tomato soup on van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” paining in London’s National Gallery, drawing attention to the idea that people are more outraged about protecting a painting than protecting the planet. On the other side of the climate change debate, climate change deniers have made headlines for bullying scientists on social media sites, such as the site formerly known as Twitter (now X). In the face of such polarizing narratives, how can we move forward and have real conversations about the changes we see in the world?
There are lots of people and organizations out there trying to answer that question. Over the next few months, I’m going to spend some time digging into how we can have healthy conversations about our changing climate and its impacts on our lives.
