Tiny Ecology Post 4
Fear. Fear provokes a reaction, a fight or flight response (PsychologyTools, n.d.). Being in a consent state of fear is exhausting. We all know what the impacts of being under stress all the time has on our bodies and minds (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). As a mother, I try to teach my boys that a little fear is okay as it helps us to question things, but it should never rule our thoughts and actions. So why does climate change messaging include so much fear? Some might say that the government just wants us to be scared so it is easier to control us. I can’t comment on the motives of the government, but the consequences of climate change are not only being told by the government. Indigenous people have been raising concerns over the impacts of climate change for numerous years.
The fact of the matter is that fear sells (Lindstrom, 2019). Just look at how successful Stephen King is. The adrenaline that fear produces is intoxicating and can spread throughout the masses. Make no wonder why climate messaging uses fear-based messaging. To me, it is trying to gather the masses into action to combat a common enemy, climate change; if you don’t stop burning fossil fuels, you could lose your land, your house, or even your life.
In my view, you must play the long game when encouraging actions on climate change. The climate has been changing for millions of years (Earth Science Communications Team, n.d.) and because of this, I think people believe that we have lots of time. As the saying goes, seeing is believing and since they can’t see climate change it is hard to believe. Yes, some people and places are seeing impacts, but it is still hard for people to connect that with climate change.
As I contemplate this in my sit spot this week, I am convinced that the climate messaging needs to include multiple avenues and layers to speak to different audiences. In my opinion, fear messaging works for a short period or if it is released at a strategic time such as after a large event. However, in my circle, the fear messaging is not encouraging action towards climate change. In fact, I would almost say that it is causing inaction.
I believe a strategic communication strategy is needed for climate change that incorporates the large toolbox that is available to speak to different audiences. It should include climate change science education, why it is changing quicker than it was millions of years ago, what would happen if we did nothing, and how we should start being responsible humans. It would incorporate various media, fear-based messaging, hope-based messaging just to name a few. For example, stating numbers and percentages do not motivate or always resonate with people. As we are visual beings, having a good visual representation of the data that can be constantly updated as new information becomes available is paramount (McCandless, 2010).
Climate change has been changing 10 times faster than in ancient times and we know what happens when the climate changes (Earth Science Communications Team, n.d.). Just the dinosaurs – oh wait they are no longer here! We all have a part to play in taking care of our planet and learning to live responsibly. What are your thoughts?
References
Earth Science Communications Team. (n.d). Climate change: How do we know? NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
Ettinger, J., Walton, P., Painter, J. & DiBlasi, T. (2021). Climate of hope or doom and gloom? Testing the climate change hope vs. fear communications debate through online videos. Climatic Change, 164, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-02975-8
Harvard Health Publishing. (2020, July 6). Understanding the stress response. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
Lindstrom, M. (2019, November 22). Why fear sells: The business of panic and paranoia. BrainWorld. https://brainworldmagazine.com/fear-sells-business-panic-paranoia/
McCandless, D. (2010, July). The beauty of data visualization [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization
PsychologyTools. (n.d.). Flight or flight response: Information handout. https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fight-or-flight-response/