February 8, 2024
4 min read
A gloom and doom approach does not always spur climate action, it turns out. A new study tells you when it works and when it doesn’t
A double rainbow appears during a monsoonal thunderstorm at Zion National Park, Utah.
Another year of record fossil fuel burning leading to record high global temperatures. Time is running out to solve the climate crisis, and catastrophe looms. You’re probably used to such headlines, and if you are like us, you have already had your moment of gloom when you felt hopeless about the future. But can you turn the doom-induced hopelessness into meaningful change? Our recent global study says yes—but these messages must be used wisely.
In 2019 David Wallace-Wells published the archetypal portrait of climate doom. In his book The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, he painted a terrifying landscape of the suffering awaiting us if we don’t address climate change. Like those gloomy headlines, it left many people feeling paralyzed with helplessness, fear, and disbelief.
Not everyone is a fan of the doom and gloom messaging. Climate scientists like Michael Mann have warned against climate “doomerism,” messaging that can depress and demoralize the public, assuming that helplessness will simply lead to further climate inaction. And the title of a new book by Hannah Ritchie states clearly that it’s Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet.
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
There is, however, some evidence that doom and gloom messaging can spur climate action, as long as it falls on the right ears at the right time. For example, research has found that climate distress, climate anger…
Read the full article here
