Ratcheting up hyperbole on climate change isn’t going to change minds

[Chew Toy McCoy]

It’s Time We Update Our Language Around Climate Change

The climate has already changed — it’s now a ‘climate crisis’

thebolditalic.com

I completely disagree with the premise of this article. The reason some people still don’t believe in climate change isn’t because we haven’t been alarmist enough about it. If anything, the deniers feel the hyperbole has already been too much. None of those people are going to go “You say it’s a crisis now? Holy shit, now I believe you!”

 

[Pumbaa]

Deniers gonna deny.

Look at Brexit. People pointed out exactly what was going to happen, and it all got labeled as “Project Fear”. Then exactly what people said would happen happened.

That said, I have no idea how to reach deniers. Maybe a start would be to somehow teach them the difference between climate and weather. And language do matter: “Global warming” might be have been accurate, kind of like “defund the Police”, but disastrous to the public discourse.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Deniers gonna deny.

Look at Brexit. People pointed out exactly what was going to happen, and it all got labeled as “Project Fear”. Then exactly what people said would happen happened.

That said, I have no idea how to reach deniers. Maybe a start would be to somehow teach them the difference between climate and weather. And language do matter: “Global warming” might be have been accurate, kind of like “defund the Police”, but disastrous to the public discourse.

I don't know how to get through to deniers either, but hysterical enough language hasn't been the problem. IMO everybody who will be in already is, and anybody who isn't on board yet will go into the "It's happening but we can't do anything about it." pile. So stop trying to convince every damn person thinking that will solve everything.

The left has been terrible with labeling. I was really looking forward to the right stepping up to the plate with "Anglo-Saxon political tradition" but it looks like that has already been shelved. It's a shame. So much opportunity for labeling ridicule there, not that it's deserving of anything other than ridicule.

 

[User.45]

I don't know how to get through to deniers either, but hysterical enough language hasn't been the problem. IMO everybody who will be in already is, and anybody who isn't on board yet will go into the "It's happening but we can't do anything about it." pile. So stop trying to convince every damn person thinking that will solve everything.

The left has been terrible with labeling. I was really looking forward to the right stepping up to the plate with "Anglo-Saxon political tradition" but it looks like that has already been shelved. It's a shame. So much opportunity for labeling ridicule there, not that it's deserving of anything other than ridicule.

Best case scenario, the oil lobby will find a renewable escape route to invest in and preserve their dominant positions and then they can instruct their pocket politicians to change the rhetoric and then deniers will become believers.