Combatting Climate Change Denial
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Combatting Climate Change Denial∗ Abhinaba Das
Despite the scientific consensus on the issue of climate change, we are yet to marshal a social consensus. Sorting this apparent dissonance is a challenge. The topic of climate change has become entrapped in so-called economic and socio-political wars. Scientific miscommunication has thwarted efforts to effectively engage with the public on this issue. If we can actively seek out the reasons that motivate denial, and try to understand the underlying structure that engenders misinformation, then perhaps we can find ways to address them. There is an acute urgency to better strategize climate change communication. The scientific community should recognize the need for new pathways of effective communication. In summary, we need to adapt. The faster we affect a change, the better chances we have at avoiding a catastrophe. Time is of the essence! Currently, we are facing a crisis that threatens our survival as a species along with the survival of global flora and fauna. Despite ample independent assessments pointing towards the fact that humans are responsible for the recent warming of the globe, greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic activities are still on the rise. Policies to adequately and effectively address the issue are floundering. Public opinion survey shows that levels of climate concern and awareness vary greatly across the world. [1] Disparity in perceptions of climate change (see Figure 1) also exists in India, a country greatly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This state of public opinion raises critical questions as to the effectiveness of the approaches towards climate change communication. To render any meaningful and constructive action, achieving a consensus among the masses and fostering public en-
∗
Abhinaba Das is a KVPY scholar currently studying at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
Keywords Climate change, science communication.
Vol.25, No.7, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-020-1010-2
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Figure 1. Based on a climate change awareness survey conducted in India, a majority of respondents are almost unaware of global warming (1a) or believe that global warming has not affected us yet (1b). (Source: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, 2012)
gagement with climate change is essential since public opinion has a profound impact on public policy. Concerns relating to climate change are not new [2]. However, policies have always aimed to promote socio-economic growth. And, unfortunately, this has happened at the expense of the environment. Over the past decades, the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have only been rising (Figure 2). The atmospheric mixing ratio of CO2 has increased by about 100 ppm (36%) over the last 250 years. The average growth rate of CO2 during 1995– 2005 was 1.9 ppm per year—highest since the beginning of continuous direct atmospheric measurements in the 1960s. Such facts
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Figure 2.
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