Krishna: Thats a complex question, as you can imagine. This Is How You Should Talk to a Climate-Change Denier, The complicated science of discussing risk. The data is really clear. In this episode, I talk to Arunima Krishna, an assistant professor at Boston Universitys College of Communication. I think our first question is one that a lot of people tend to think about, especially right now when climate change seems so ever-present in our lives. What is the downside of investing in renewable energy? So, here are some tips on how to break the ice and talk to the climate deniers in your family. Colarossi: Thank you for explaining this whole topic so clearly; its so complicated. He says it's important to "[expose] techniques of manipulation" by asking questions such as: "Have you considered that some of these theories might be created to take advantage of people?". Deniers suggest climate change is just part of the natural cycle. "And they're still dropping. In the most respectful, loving way, of course: 1. There is clear evidence that over the past seventeen years, the global temperature has risen by 0.09F. Bonus points if you attach a voice memo with your question. VideoWhy we know so little about the battle for Kherson, Scholz in China calls for economic ties 'as equals', The conspiracy theorists who could run US elections, Why the latest UN climate conference matters. What is that motivator that gets people so fired up? The research suggests that those hoping to. Risk assessment by groupthink is reasonable, if not rational, because, at the personal level, it costs nothing. "You can't convince someone if they perceive that there's a power differential," says Prof van der Linden. Jessica Colarossi: Climate change denial and misinformation have been around since scientists first began documenting the causes and dangers of climate change. His father, Brian, is one of them - he grew up in rural Minnesota in the 1970s. How do you talk to someone who doesn't believe in climate change? Its a three-phase project that focuses on understanding misinformation about climate change on Reddit, on Twitter, and on different kinds of social media. is a science writer for The Brink. Specifically the major drawback and impracticality of renewables is how incredibly diffuse and unreliable the energy is. Seeing you do makes it much more likely theyll listen to you with an open mind and your message can be heard. "Telling people that they don't know what they're talking about, or that they're wrong, just creates more defensive responses.". On Monday's . Your email address will not be published. Prof van der Linden believes that thinking you'll win someone over with a single, one-off conversation is simply not realistic: "You have to be content with small wins, and compromise.". Prof van der Linden believes that changing the minds of climate deniers is impossible without affirming - to some extent - their worldview. [Laughs]. Vaccines are bad for you. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation. Falling down the rabbit hole of conspiratorial thinking can be a long process - taking months, or even years. Video, Why we know so little about the battle for Kherson, How extreme weather is linked to climate change, Facebook drives sceptics towards climate denial, How high-profile scientists felt tricked by group denying climate change, Small army of volunteers keeping climate deniers off Wikipedia, 'Go back to Africa' remark halts French parliament, Trump drops strong hint about 2024 White House run, Kyrie Irving suspended over anti-Semitic posts, The Albanian gangs luring migrants to the UK, Imran Khan: Shock at attack on Pakistan ex-PM, Johnson had numbers to challenge Sunak - top Tory, Dutch wolves to be paintballed to scare them away. The trends and technologies shaping our future. And when you take the three things togetherattitudes, motivation, misinformation acceptancethats when you can get to a broader understanding of the level to which you may be able to convince somebody or not. The heat causes warm air to rise, and nearby air gets sucked in to take its place. And let me clarify this last point, because there are a variety of different topics of misinformation related to climate change that are abundant out there. Ted Cruz in an interview with CNN in 2016: And the problem with climate change is theres never been a day in the history of the world in which the climate is not changing., CNN interviewer: So you dont believe that theres any man-made reason for global warming or climate change?, Cruz: What I think is the data are not supporting what the advocates are arguing.. "I don't give credibility to people who are denying climate science, and I don't want to waste my energy on debunking more of their disinformation.". This is the type of denial we are all familiar with: that the science of climate change is not settled. But Kahan and Skocpol arent as far apart as they seem. Ill start by talking about how climate change denial is a very well-funded industry. Lance, now 21, lives with his father . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Use this as an opportunity to get an understanding of what their concerns are and where theyre coming from. Yes. Studies suggest consensus among scientists is as high as 97 percent. In some cases, simple facts and logic can help such people understand the realities of the earth system and how it is responding (and will respond further) to anthropogenic perturbations such as . Read about our approach to external linking. With the rise in use of electric cars and the reliance on coal decreasing..we are making moves in the right direction. Colarossi: Whats next for you and your research on climate change misinformation? The lone policeman who tried to stem the Seoul crush, Aboriginal boy's killing puts spotlight on racism, Billions being spent in metaverse land grab. With few in the party willing to directly push back on Trump over the issue for fear of alienating the base or angering the mercurial former President, the GOP's push to shake its image as the . But also, I always suggest as a last resort: ask, So what? Climate change alarmists seem incapable of balancing the risks from climate change with the risks of completely and drastically banning all fossil fuel use as quickly as possible and replacing that with renewable energy. I just wanted to poke at that more, and see if theres anything else you wanted to add, of understanding where someones coming from, and then responding based on that. "Effort is better spent on pushing for actual change, rather than trying to combat solidified disinformation that has been pushed for years," she says. What about converting as much oil and coal use to natural gas? He was just a teenager when that conversation happened, but it made a huge impression on him. Why did we stop holding protests about nuclear power? And I am not an expert on algorithms, youll have to talk to my colleagues over in [the College of Engineering] about that. Complex concepts and ideas are scary so you need to ease them in, perhaps with cartoon mascots explaining it very, very slowly and multiple times. 1. Did it turn out to be false? Kahan and colleagues like to plot these worldviews on charts that illustrate how certain sociocultural tendencieshierarchical-individualist and egalitarian-communitarian are the two big onesconsistently correlate to the same judgments about whats worrisome and what isnt. Colarossi: Can you explain the difference actually between climate change disinformation, the people who amplify it, and those who, like you just said, are vulnerable, which sounds like thats actually the majority. Krishna: Theres another set of misinformation that talks about: okay, maybe climate change is really happening, but we cant really do anything about it and all of these policies to make it go away wont really work. The audacious PR plot that spread climate change doubt, Don't let climate doom win, project tells worriers. From extreme weather events to record-breaking heat, the evidence of how our climate is changing is right in front of us, but some people still wont see these signs for what they are. Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events "Climate change is a hoax-and so is coronavirus." "Vaccines are bad for you." These days, many of our fellow citizens reject scientific expertise and prefer ideology to facts. I would bet most people fall into the category where there are serious risks from climate change and there is an acknowledgement that fossil fuels is the engine and the life blood which underlies all economic prosperity for billions of poor and middle class people around the world. A recent Monmouth poll found that 78% of Americans believe climate change is real and leading to sea-level rise and . Climate change is a hoax--and so is coronavirus. And thats a problem that were confronting as disinformation and misinformation researchers. Science denial. [Laughs], Krishna: Hopefully thats one that works. The latest attack on the Green New Deal argues that Democrats want to wipe out cows and ban burgers. And third, what kinds and to what extent have they accepted misinformation about climate change? Krishna: Absolutely. If we dont, we may have to say goodbye to the American way of life we all know and love. Our podcast focuses on the deniers, people who simply do not believe in climate change. His dad spoke of unscrupulous politicians "fearmongering" for electoral gain. ", Lance's close bond with his dad is something he believes was key to persuading him, but he also says it's important to check your tone: "Ask yourself, 'Am I sounding sanctimonious?' Considering the relative populations (a billion-plus each for China and India . Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. What I see is single minded focus to push policies by ANY MEANS whatever the cost, without considering cost-benefit, and if you are critical of any part of the agenda you are labeled morally deficient. So, here are some tips on how to break the ice and talk to the climate deniers in your family. Profile, Dana Ferrante Maybe you fear confrontation, maybe you simply don't know how to explain the basic science of global warming. Scientists, politicians, and regulators are constantly trying to figure out which risks will alarm people. Its a difficult conversation to have, even overwhelming at times it is the future of the planet, after all. Brian Anderson (left) was convinced climate change was 'nonsense' until his son Lance Lawson started discussing it with him, Prof Sander van der Linden says facts don't always change minds - in fact, they might backfire, Abbie Richards is sceptical about the merit of arguing with climate change deniers, Reciting the facts isn't always the answer, Why we know so little about the battle for Kherson. Arunima, thank you so much for being here. 555 11th Street NW "We need to tackle our teachers, our neighbours All of us have to become vessels for communication.". So, disinformation-vulnerable, receptive, and amplifying publics, and what strategies for corrections work the best among these publics, across different kinds of media. History has made fools of environmentalists who believed that people would change their behavior if they only knew how bad global warming could be. Not by rehashing the same data and facts we've been discussing for years, says climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. The study estimated that 70% of respondents believe in climate change. Lately, though, an explanation of flawed risk assessment has become popular that has the virtue of not dismissing half the population as ignorant, stupid, or biased by temperament. Although the science is clear, misinformation still runs rampant, says Arunima Krishna, a COM assistant professor of mass communication, advertising, and public relations, who studies public perceptions of climate change. In its new report " Global Warming of 1.5 ," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says the prognosis is dire if we do not contain a rise in global . This Exxon platform sits above a major California oilfield. 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