This time when I talk about denial, I mean it. I mean the deniers, the conspiracy theorists, the oil and gas mistresses... whoever... the people who genuinely do not believe that climate change is happening, or that it is not caused by humans.
There are two people in my life who are incredibly close to me who do not believe. They are deniers for fairly different reasons. One is a die-hard Fox News viewer and believes all the blatant lies that are fed to her in their programming. The other is an old-school environmentalist who lives completely off the grid and in a very sustainable fashion, but thinks that climate change is part of a much larger conspiracy involving governments, banks, the queen, garlic, a global elite, 911 and so on... He dedicates his life to researching on the internet and is 100% sure that this whole climate change thing is just a way to be able to control the human race and tax the sh*# out of it.
Needless to say, this is a bit of a struggle for me, considering the work that I do. But I am also not one to just sit back and shut up. So, I have had numerous conversations that end in complete dead-ends. Nothing will change their mind. No amount of scientific evidence or compelling arguments will shift their viewpoint and that is the way it is. So a few years ago I figured out my own strategy for how to deal with them and how to find common ground that we could both stand on. My strategy is illustrated in this cartoon and is proven in a study that I just read by Bain, Hornsey, Bongiorno and Jeffries (2012).
You've probably seen this...
So that is my approach with them. I refuse to engage in debates about the reality of climate change. First of all I think we are well past that stage, and secondly I find it to be rather irrelevant. Sometimes if people ask me if I believe in climate change I don't even answer. I tell them that I don't think it matters, because I believe in all of the solutions to climate change in their own right. I tell them that all that matters is what my vision and hope for the future is, because that is what I'm working for.
The study by Bain et al (2012) showed that "framing climate change action as increasing consideration for others, or improving economic/technological development, led to greater pro-environmental action intentions than a frame emphasizing avoiding the risks of climate change."
This brings up a question I have been asking regularly in class. Do all people really need to know all the facts? Can we not stop focusing on the negative side of it, and start focusing on the "climate crisis" as an opportunity. Perhaps it is not a crisis at all, but actually the biggest opportunity to change the world to be a better place than it has ever been in the past!
The results of the study showed that overall framing climate change in terms of positive change was more effective in promoting environmental citizenship than one that focused on the risks and facts associated with climate change. This study was done with deniers and believers and while the outcome was true of both groups, it was stronger for the deniers.
I have found in my experience that this is really the only way to engage with people who believe so strongly that it doesn't exist. I say to them, let's forget about whether it is happening or not, do you not want safer communities, do you not want healthier people, do you not want more natural spaces, do you not want buildings that enhance the experience of learning...? It's all about telling the story in a way that works for who you are talking to.
This is how Obama won his campaign. And a group out of the US is now using the story-telling method that he employed when he was running for president to create social change. It is worth checking out their website, and I believe that their strategy is a way to have a dialogue with anyone, even if they hold a completely opposing view to your own. http://www.millionpersonproject.org/mpp/
So, if you are ever up against a denier, and your Skeptical Science App just isn't doing the trick, try storytelling, just change up the story a bit.
References:
Bain, P. G., Hornsey, M. J., Bongiorno, R., & Jeffries, C. (2012). Promoting pro-environmental action in climate change deniers.
http://www.millionpersonproject.org/mpp/
Million
person project
obama
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