The Fault in our ‘Climate Change’: The Role of Perception in Preventing Action
If you haven’t made the link yet, the title of this blog post is inspired by the famous book ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green, in which both main characters are sick with a serious disease. Being sick is not their fault, and there is nothing they can do about it, so the author suggests blaming it on destiny, from which comes the title: the fault in our stars, originally taken from a Shakespearean writing about Julius Caesar, but more about this later.
This blog post is about making an analogy between the book’s storyline and our effort towards climate action.
Is the lack of climate action a result of our laziness? is it our fault?
Or is it the fault of climate change itself? Is the fault in our climate change?
Climate change makes it hard for us to take action
I am not suggesting that we should blame it on destiny. Rather, I am suggesting that climate change, as taught to us, as is communicated in social media, newspapers, in our chitchats, creates specific psychological barriers, making it difficult to translate our good intentions into actual tangible actions.
‘I want to stop eating meat, but my family’s gatherings are always about eating briskets, and I don’t want to be the odd one out.’ ‘I want to do more for the climate, but if the world is ending soon, what’s the use?’ The narrative around climate change focuses on negative consequences, doom and gloom, and how we need to make sacrifices and bear costs to be able to contribute (which is not always the case).
In fact, framing the climate change narrative in negative frames would trigger negative feelings, and for us humans, this results in avoidance. Avoidance of the subject, avoidance of thinking about it or talking about it, or including it in our decisions and consumption choices.
Barriers to an Attractive Climate Change Narrative
What is making climate change unattractive are many psychological barriers. For the purpose of this blog post, let’s focus on two of them: The doom and gloom.
Doom and Gloom
When most of the talk about global warming and climate change comes from a focus on fear and urgency, and trying to instill this image of global catastrophes, we instinctively reject this dark image. As human beings, we are structured to avoid negative emotions, fear, doom, and frustration. So when the climate is always linked to crises and a dark future ahead, it is very normal to observe rejection from the audience. Communicating about a climate-friendly alternative, whether it is a vegan dish or a clean way to commute, the narrative needs to revolve around saving the world, a brighter future, and positive emotions of pride, belonging, and achievement.
Dissonance
As we strive to align our values and intentions with sustainable actions, the overarching narrative surrounding climate change can magnify this intention-action gap, making our struggle even more challenging. Let me explain. We already feel guilty about not being perfectly aligned with our environmental values. Then we watch a documentary or report showing how serious the climate crisis is, and how big the consequences are on our lives and the future of the planet. Then we start feeling even worse because now there is a clash between the gravity of the discourse and our individual behavioral inconsistencies. It becomes amplified and reiterates feelings of doom and gloom.
But there are ways to counter this narrative in climate change discourse, and the recent ad of Environment and Climate Change Canada embodies a better and brighter communication frame (you can watch it here).
Is the Fault Really in Our Stars?
Let me get back to the book’s storyline. You know, John Green, the author of the book, was inspired by Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” where Cassius says: “The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves,” wanting to convey that we are responsible for our actions, not fate. However, in John Green’s book, the fault was indeed in our stars, as the two characters were not to blame, and there was nothing they could do about their disease.
So, which one is it when it comes to climate change? Are we to blame for not taking climate action? Or is climate change itself to blame? Going back to my analogy, indeed there is a perceptional barrier preventing people from taking action. This narrative makes climate change sound distant, doomy, and uninvited. So the fault is in the perception and narrative of climate change, not the people receiving it.
However, once we understand what is hindering action, and now that we have the knowledge, tools, and science to tackle the climate change narrative and better design communication to frame climate-related actions, products, services, and alternatives… I believe we should start sharing some of the responsibility. Blaming it on fate means we can do nothing to counter it. But we have the power to better communicate and include climate considerations in our decisions and choices more effectively. So, my friend, the fault is no longer in our ‘climate change’; it is, rather, in ourselves.
Take aways
- Climate change narrative is not designed to appeal to recipients
- When centered around doom and gloom, climage change narrative can trigger avoidance
- There is indeed a fault attributed to the climate change narrative and perception.
- But our knowledge on behavioral change, and communication appeal is powerful and we have the responsibility to conceptualize better narratives around climate change, ones that ignite action.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post,
Saty safe, and as always, keep the green vibes going ~
PS: The image of this blog post is inspired by and imitates the cover of the book ‘The fault in our stars’, initially designed by Rodrigo Corral.