Stop Climate Doomsdaying

As we all know, the world is ending. Armageddon news headlines, videos of strangled turtles, and the smoke-haze skies of this past summer all confirm this reality. 

Have I convinced you to act yet? To single-handedly save the world? 

If I have succeeded in convincing you that the world is doomed, then you must know that there is nothing we can do about it, so why would you bother fighting? 

If I have not sufficiently convinced you of the gravity of the climate crisis, then you would know that the problem isn’t that bad, so you personally don’t need to take action. Other people will surely figure it out.

Many people don’t need to be convinced that the climate crisis is real and imminent, but rather that they have the power to take action. Our current news cycle paralyzes us with a constant inundation of doomsdaying headlines about consumers’ powerlessness in the face of a global catastrophe. We are preemptively persuaded that there is nothing we can do about the climate crisis, and this conviction in itself may be bringing us closer to the prophesied doomsday. As people are numbed into inaction, their lack of action perpetuates a climate crisis that might have been averted.The climate crisis is extremely real and extremely dangerous, but it will not be solved by dramatic headlines and a paralyzed population. 

“It hits a point where people become oversaturated with that kind of explosive language [and] become numb to it,” says Mr. Grady, an English teacher and the Green Club advisor at West High.

Yet, a simple list of silver-bullet solutions cannot conclude this article. In a global catastrophe where each of us contributes to the issue, every one of us must be part of the solution. Small actions count, but only when they add up.

Begin with an individual action, but make your action ripple. Whatever step you take, encourage those around you to do the same while being careful not to fall into the language of doomsdaying yourself. Using doomsdaying rhetoric or waving a supposed moral superiority over others because of a decision you have made is not an effective way to encourage people to join you, as the Tiktok-famous Vegan Teacher has demonstrated only too well. Still, people are curious, and if you approach the topic in a respectful manner, often they will follow your lead.

It can be hard not to get caught up in the constant forward motion of life, to remember to take time out of your day for a cause that can often be quite abstract. Finding community can be a good way to keep yourself motivated. Beyond the myriad national movements, there are a plethora of local groups led by high schoolers working to fight the climate crisis, including Green Club and Environmental Cleanup Club at West; the Madison chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which includes a youth group; the Madison Youth Climate Team; and the Dane County Youth Environmental Committee (DCYEC). Of course, joining an official, pre-existing group is not the only way to build community. Having informal conversations with friends about the climate movement can also be a good way to integrate climate action into your life.

While social media can be a gloomy place, it can also be a positive force when used carefully. Many of the aforementioned groups have a presence on social media, and keeping up with the work these organizations are doing can be a strong motivator.

The most important thing is to begin. 

“All it takes is a spark,” says Mr. Grady. “If we’ve got all the puzzle pieces scattered on the table, we just need to find some way to collectively, more efficiently take our people power and chart avenues.”