In an earlier article, I shared Michael’s Oppenheimer‘s concern for that very issue, what Elke Weber calls the limited worry pool. The real danger is that world leaders and their people get distracted from the urgency of the climate fight, by an ongoing flow of crisis, as is the case currently with the financial markets. Tomorrow it could be a war, or a terrorist attack, . . .
This reminds me of this family I saw years ago as a therapist. One of the children had been killed by the boyfriend’s mother, and she had gone on with her life trying not to burden the other siblings with her grief. The big issue in the family was the message she had sent to the other children, that she did not seem to value the life of their dead sibling, and hence their own lives. Every week the family came, and presented with yet another crisis, that ‘could not be ignored’. In the mean time, nothing changed and the family became increasingly at risk of disintegration. Not until I realized what was really going on, and I stopped reacting to each weekly crisis did we start the real work. Same thing with global warming. World leaders need to realize that there will always be a new crisis. However, the one crisis that supersedes all others is global warming. Nature cannot wait. Markets will return to normal. Wars will end. The damage that’s being caused to our living ecosystem is on its way to being irreversible.
La Marguerite 
Great picture.
I agree with Al Gore that we will need much more than changing lightbulbs. That said, individual action can still make a huge difference. For example, voting wisely. Talking to friends. Getting a much more fuel-efficient car next time around. And so forth. Of course, actions are socially contagious, so if you change lightbulbs, and get a more efficient washer, and a more efficient car, and so forth, and especially if you talk about them a bit, then some of your friends will do so too, and your impact will multiply itself.
But, the “emergency-of-the-day” problem is a big concern. In some ways, people seem to be a bit like puppets in terms of where we often turn our attention. If a starlet gets in trouble with the court, that’s where TV’s attention goes, and that’s where many of us then place our attention. It’s amazing.
Even (or perhaps especially) the major newspapers fall into this pattern. Judging from recent months, it is apparently far easier to warrant headlines and attention if you are a financial market in the U.S. than if you are the global climate itself. If you are the global climate, you have to stand in line (a long one) for headlines and, I guess, you usually have to be happy with page 3 or 5 or 20, if you are covered at all. “Stand aside, please, global climate: Wall Street is coming through!”
I’ll end with a few fun quotes:
“Circus dogs jump when the trainer cracks his whip, but the really well-trained dog is the one that turns his somersault when there is no whip.”
– George Orwell
“The average man is destitute of independence of opinion. He is not interested in contriving an opinion of his own, by study and reflection, but is only anxious to find out what his neighbor’s opinion is and slavishly adopt it.”
– Mark Twain
“They who have put out the people’s eyes reproach them of their blindness.”
– John Milton
“The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.”
– Machiavelli
“A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.”
– Machiavelli
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery.”
– Bob Marley, “Redemption Song”
TGIF. Happy weekend to all!
I like this image of yours of global warming having to stand in line behind other more eye-catching headlines . . . Britney Spears will make it to the top each time!
It’s an unfortunate side-effect of our rapid communications. I mean, there are 24 hour news channels – let’s face it, real news you can catch up weekly. Because what’s the news going to have in it, if nothing substantial that actually affects your readers and watchers has happened in the two hours since the last bulletin? Well, you broaden your news to include things that don’t affect your audience. Now, of things which don’t affect them, there are things which affect someone else, like if your audience is in San Diego, say elections in Ghana – but then for your audience to understand that, you have to give them a whole lot of background, and then it’s not news anymore, it’s a documentary. So the things that don’t affect them… well, it’s trivial things. Thus Britney’s divorce or Anna Nicole Smith’s autopsy.
All this fosters a kind of ADD for the media. And this passes on to the audience.
But none of this is that new. People have always worried more about today than tomorrow. The media’s just amplified the effect.
That’s why I emphasise the importance of the personal example. I think I mentioned before how I saw a story about this local council in South Australia, the whole area was in drought, and the council had all this sewage they had to clean to standards higher than irrigation water before they could discharge it to the sea; and to discharge it they needed to lay some expensive pipe. So they said, “well, it’s clean anyway, let’s just give it to the local farmers, helps us, helps them.” And most of the farmers despite being shown all these numbers saying how safe the water is, they wouldn’t touch it. But one or two went for it, and once they did, their neighbours followed. A good number held out still, but after a year had passed and a few crops had gone for sale and got good prices, everyone followed.
So what we saw was that numbers and logical argument persuaded only one or two people, but “my neighbour is doing it” persuaded lots of people, and “my neighbour did it, and it turned out alright” persuaded almost everyone.
So in many respects, the media has made itself irrelevant. What you and I do matters much more.
If Al Gore had a small house, was practically vegetarian, took the bicycle everywhere, and sailed boats to his international appointments, he’d be able to speak to far fewer people, but would have far more impact.
I totally agree with you, on the power of example. I have a question for you – and other readers:
What in your opinion is the most potent personal action in terms of its virality potential for climate fight?
To me, it seems that the most timely and important action related to the climate issue has to do with the upcoming election: Choose a candidate who will address global warming in a wise and “revolutionary” way. Talk to friends (as difficult as that might be sometimes, regarding politics). If they don’t already, help them understand the importance of the global warming issue. Let them see the sincerity in your face. Tell them why you like candidate “X” (fill in your choice). Talk to more friends. And so forth. Getting the best person elected is a KEY initial step and will make further steps much more available.
Also, I can’t resist sharing another quote (sorry). This one from John Lennon:
“Our job now is to tell them that there is still hope and we still have things to do and we must get out there and change their heads and tell them, it’s OK, we can change it. It isn’t over just because flower power didn’t work. It’s only the beginning. We’re just in the inception of revolution. We’re just in the beginning of change. And they’re all apathetic because they’re young and they think, ‘oh, it didn’t work today, so it’s all over.’ We must get them excited about what we can do again.”
(John Lennon, in the movie, “The U.S. vs. John Lennon”)
Of course, the quote is much more eloquent and passionate when you hear it in John Lennon’s own voice, as you can in the movie.
Oh, and getting younger generations excited about the issue is vitally important!
I hope this post is helpful in some way.
Cheers.
Hard to say – it’s made a bit foggier here because of the state’s emphasis on saving water, which has led to neighbours snooping on and reporting on one another, but also a new sense of watching out for water waste. For example, we were watching a romantic movie, and the man turned on the shower for the woman and turned to go to give her some privacy, she stopped him, and they began undressing each-other. At this romantic moment of passion, my woman said, “he shouldn’t leave the shower running if they’re going to do that.”
When I had an acquaintance who was newly-arrived in Australia, and we discovered that he took forty minute showers, there was actual anger against him. “That’s so wasteful!” People shook their heads, some muttered joking threats of physical violence.
Our perspective about water has changed, with many though not all people becoming conscious of waste, and feeling strongly about it. While saving water may be just part of general conservation in other countries, it’s a big deal here. And it acts as a counterpoint to my assertion about the main power of personal example; our water savings were achieved by government policy, laws about what you could use water for – “Now on Stage 2 restrictions, no hosing down of driveways, car-washing with bucket only” – and an advertising campaign with the State Premier flying over the water reservoirs and showing how empty they were, the water company’s tagline being “our water, our future”, and “every drop counts”, etc.
But for purely personal actions influencing others, walking or biking, I think. “Shall I give you a lift?”
“No thanks mate, I’ll walk.”
“But it’s 2ks!”
“Yep, only twenty minutes if I take it slow.”
Walking or biking a lot really shocks and surprises people, and after a bit many of them are intrigued.
I find vegie gardening most impresses and inspires people. You can point to the downward trend of your power bill or your clothing bill, it doesn’t inspire people much. But a yard full of green and colourful stuff really stirs people.
Jeff, Kyle, I think you both are on to something. I like to think of it as the top-down, bottom-up approach. Both need to work together really, and can activate each other.
Regarding the gardening, I have a friend who started a whole conversation with her neighborhood, simply by starting an organic vegetable and flower garden in front of her house.
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