A Little Thing Called Framing
The Long Spiral of Doubt
My thoughts—on the loss of these great natural experiences—does bring to mind the Conner et. al. (2016) paper, “Interpersonal communication about climate change: How messages change when communicated through simulated online social networks.” Specifically, the development content domain that relates “climate change to the economy and technology” (p. 465). I am reflecting on this loss of bird calls as a loss-frame. As a result of deforestation, poor city planning, and infringement on ecosystems, we are losing pieces of the natural world that are, in my opinion, sacred. Irreplaceable, in fact. In short, I am focusing on the negative effects of not mitigating climate change (p. 465). When my reflections take me down this line of thought, I am filled with a deep helplessness. I can never replace and fix what has been lost in such a way. Furthermore, will there be a time where no one wakes up to the sound of birdsong? How can I, one person, living in a consumer culture as a consumer (an enabler of an economy that seems to encourage this kind of rapid and un-mitigated growth and excess) do something about it? I am, thanks to my education, equipped with knowledge, yes, and awareness. Yet, how does this help? What can I actually do?
It is in the Hine et. al. (2015) paper, “Preaching to different choirs: How to motivate dismissive, uncommitted, and alarmed audiences to adapt to climate change?” that says that “messages framed in terms of negative outcomes and high uncertainty decreased participants’ intentions to engage in pro-environmental behavior” (p. 2). The negative associations I made between a lack of bird song quickly had me spiralling into uncertainty. Indeed, I believe that there are larger implications tied to how loss-frame messaging can discourage action. If someone is uncertain about a topic, hearing negative (or worse, incriminating messaging) may push them further away from making steps toward, in this case, climate action. That is why I believe it is necessary to have positive (or gain-frame) narratives. “Framing climate change outcomes in terms of gains (relative to losses) was [in a 2010 study) associated with increased perceived severity of climate change impacts” (Hine et. al., 2016, p. 2). People that were presented with gain-frame narratives feel a larger sense of agency to create positive change.
Flipping The Coin
References
Hine, W. D., Phillips, W. J., Cooksey, R., Reser, J. P., Nunn, P., Marks, A. D. G., Loi, N. M, Watt, E. S. (2015). Preaching to different choicrs: How to motivate dismissive, uncommited, and alarmed audiences to adapt to climate change? Global Environmental Change, 36, 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.11.002
Conner, P., Harris, E., Guy, S., Fernando, J., Shank, D. B., Kurz, T., Bain, P. G., Kashima, Y. (2016). Interpersonal communication about climate change: How messages change when communicated through simulated online social networks. Climate Change, 136, 463-476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1643-z
I enjoyed reading your post Mallory! I like how you applied loss/gain framing to your own thoughts, and used it as a way to reframe your thinking. Using communication tips for your internal dialogue is genius, and I will definitely use this when I see my own patterns of thought going in a loss direction. Also, I just want to point out that the content of this post perfectly aligns with your shirt in the photo on your main page. (No rain – no rainbows!)
Hi Amy!
I really appreciate the comment, thank you so much. Also, I never even thought about the shirt, but you are so right!
Hi Mallory,
I really empathized with your post because I had the opposite experience about a year and a half ago that was very marking for me, when I moved from downtown Ottawa to a countryside home. When I lived in my 4th floor apartment in Ottawa, I was depressed and anxious about the biodiversity loss crisis, framed by my city experience of seeing very little wildlife and only a few species of birds. We had many pigeons too, and occasionally owls and falcons (an uplifting presence, even if they were only there to eat the pigeons). It deeply saddened me that most of the wildlife I was aware of in my very urban area were the species adapted to this urban world: pigeons thriving (on what? I’m not sure), the birds of prey eating them, raccoons eating garbage, mice, a few rabbits in the back alley which was definitely uplifting… I also heard of a significant deer population frequenting the government building sites in the West end of the city at night, and of course there was the yearly Canada Goose invasion. So a few species I guess, but I was depressed nonetheless. Looking out from my balcony I rarely saw a butterfly, a bee or any kind of bug flutter by – I wondered how any of them could survive in this barren place.
Then when I moved to this home in the country, I was enchanted and enthralled by the diversity teeming around me. I was seeing bugs and caterpillars that I’d never seen before (including in the greener places I’d lived prior to downtown Ottawa). Such a diversity of trees too on this property, goldfinches and hummingbirds, robins and ravens, even bald eagles – so many species whose presence I had been deprived of in the city. Not to mention a groundhog, families of deer and stories of otters in the river, bears, coywolves and even a cougar in the nearby area. This incredible diversity gave me a lot of hope for the biodiversity crisis – we are facing a crisis of massive and catastrophic proportions, there is no question. That said, finding this pocket of rich diversity just 30 minutes from the desolation I was seeing in the city made me realize that biodiversity can still bounce back, if we give it more space. You might not be seeing much of it downtown, but remember that it’s out there in the wings, ready to step back in if given some room to thrive.
What I feel that I lost when I moved from the city is that connection to the urban reality and issues, where I think so much work needs to happen. I think that cities need to be reclaimed by nature: for us to make more room for nature in the city and then nurture those spaces, working with other urban residents to do this reclaiming work as a mutually beneficial process between people and nature. By moving out to the country I worried that I would grow complacent about those issues and stop contributing to addressing them. I’m trying to stay connected but it’s definitely hard to prioritize when it’s not right in front of me and so many different issues are calling to me. My hope for you is that more of the hidden wildlife in the city is revealed to you to sustain you, and that your presence there will help to offset my departure in terms of being an ambassador for nature in the urban space.
This is a fantastic comment, thanks for this. It has prompted me to reflect on my own time split between town/city and the forests of Southern Vancouver Island. Much to chew on!
Thank you so much for sharing this story. I was especially moved when you said: “finding this pocket of rich diversity just 30 minutes from the desolation I was seeing in the city made me realize that biodiversity can still bounce back, if we give it more space. You might not be seeing much of it downtown, but remember that it’s out there in the wings, ready to step back in if given some room to thrive.” This is such a beautiful thing to remember.
Also, you have given me, yet, another new perspective about living in the city. That it is a good reminder and connection to, as you say, “urban reality and issues.” I really appreciate this post. You have given me a lot to think about.
Hi Mallory, I’m so glad it was helpful for you! (And that’s reassuring for me – I was worried I had written too much!) All the best to you and nice to connect. 🙂
What I really appreciate about this Mallory is whether intentionally or not, you’ve really told a story about what it means to be in connection with the place you live, and how we can get there. This could have just been an observation about some pigeons arriving, but instead because of your storytelling, the pigeons are a gift, a reminder of the possibilities and beauty of the world. This is what it is to see with beginner’s mind, or the mind the lives in curiosity and wonder. I think you may be surprised by things like birdsong in the city, but you will need to sink in deeper, range wider. Consider too connecting with the “weeds”! I think you’ll be surprised by how much plant life is secretly growing medicine and food in urban spaces, providing things we don’t even realize we need.
Shandell,
Thank you for the response and the suggestion. Again, I have never thought to spend time connecting with weeds! I will try this.