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These are the headlines about the warming world we have created.
I have worse news.
These disasters are not enough to convince us to stop fossil fuel pollution.
Let me explain.
People did not react to floods or wildfires, which were the other disasters studied.
This is what you need to think about for a second. Yes, research shows that hurricanes in the United States are associated with a statistically significant rise in belief that climate change is real and that humans are responsible. OK, sure. However, even this paper points out that “the rate at which feedback occurs… seems slow.”
“For example,” researchers wrote, “our results indicate it would take multiple hurricanes to increase the proportions of individuals supporting policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one percent.”
Accordingly, Jordan Suter, a professor from Colorado State University, said via e-mail that it seemed unlikely that an increase in natural disasters alone would have a dramatic effect on public support for climate change-related policies.
In non-scientific terms, disasters won’t likely fix this.
The term was created by Daniel Pauly, a fisheries scientist, in 1990 to describe the fact humans are terrible at recognizing slow-moving changes in our world.
To capture our attention, fires need to get bigger.
These changes seem to us to be “eh…kinda weird and unexpected.” The full impact of the climate crisis is not felt by us. It can take decades or centuries to reach its peak.
These disasters won’t trigger our alarms in this context.
I’m directing a documentary about the topic, “BASELINE: Part 1.” It follows four young people who grew up on the frontlines of this crisis, between now and 2050.
It might be an antidote to our collective memory, I hope.
These problems can be solved, but it is not easy.
What would drive us to take a more aggressive approach to the climate crisis
It is important to know which “us” you are referring to in that question.
“Us” could refer to the wealthy, as many Orange County homeowners do.
I don’t have a solution for us, whoever “us” might be.
For decades, science has been in front of us.
Unfortunately, none of this has been convincing.
At least for those with the potential to change the world economy.
Perhaps ordinary citizens can mobilize to change this.
The point is, the concerned public must not wait for the climate crisis to intensify, or for evidence that fossil fuels must be eliminated.
We have all of the evidence we need.
