With the election of President Donald Trump and increasingly pessimistic articles about the state of our climate, many have given up on saving it. Climate doomerism is on the rise, with roughly half of young people thinking “humanity is doomed” according to a 2021 University of Bath poll.
It is tempting to give up on the climate. The issue is so large that it feels like we have limited ability to make direct change. This is especially true when the news capitalizes on our fears by claiming we only have ‘x number of years before extinction.’
There is hope, though. Even under Trump’s 2017 administration, private investments in green energy increased by $10 billion despite his rhetoric and push for fossil fuels. In many cases, it makes economic sense to switch away from fossil fuels.
Take solar technology, where solar panels have decreased in price by over 99% since 1975, from $130 to $0.31 per watt. At this price, it becomes competitive with oil.
Dr. Busch, the current IB Environmental Science teacher, says, “I am optimistic about addressing climate mitigation and adaptation challenges” as technology advances and people grow aware of the situation.
Of course, there will be ramifications even with new technology, but not to the level the media portrays it as. Even in the most extreme climate projections, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change knows humanity will survive.
It is the nature of the media to paint a bad future or have clickbait titles. Take this article, for example. Negativity bias, or our tendency to pay more attention to bad news, is due to our survival instincts.
Negativity bias means we seek and remember bad information more than good information, making people feel like the situation is hopeless.
In the 1990s, when people were worried about the ozone layer, there were articles about how we were all going to die; there was little coverage regarding the Montreal Convention, which started the recovery of the ozone layer that continues to this day.
Dr. Busch, when asked if there’s anything we can do, channels the message of Henry Ford of “if you think you can or think you can’t, both answers are correct.” The first step to change is believing that you can have an impact.
He points out that even without joining environmental groups, we have a voice in what we buy. In a world where profit speaks more than words, profit is one of the more powerful tools, even regarding climate.
We aren’t screwed, but we will be – if we believe we are.
