Why it's hard to care about climate change

Bringing up climate change is one tried and true way to ruin a dinner party — and leave people feeling helpless and apathetic. But it doesn't have to be that way, if we change how we communicate. So let's talk, about how we talk, about climate change.

Reporter: Amanda Coulson-Drasner
Camera: Chris Caurla
Cutter: Amanda Coulson-Drasner
Graphics: Frederik Willmann
Supervising editors: Kiyo Dörrer, Joanna Gottschalk, Malte Rohwer-Kahlman

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our channel explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.

#PlanetA #ClimateCommunication #ClimateChange

Read more:

Climate disinformation database:

Barriers to climate reporting:

How to have a climate conversation:

Discourses of delay:

(Almost) all scientists agree on climate change:

Media attention on climate change:

00:00 Intro
01:26 How bad is it?
02:45 Climate science is complicated
05:12 Balance as bias
08:22 How we feel
10:26 Solutions

[DWPlanetA]

How does talking about climate change make you feel?

[SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: as soon as companies figure out how to make money off climate change you won’t be able to stop them from reporting about it!

That being said, there’s a lot of really good YouTube channels out there for climate change. Here’s my favorites that I’d recommend:

1) DW planet A
2) Climate Town
3) Not Just Bikes
4) Climate Adam
5) Shelbizlee
6) Just Have a Think
7) Our Changing Climate
8) Ankur Shah
9) my channel (Save Money Save the Planet)

I’d also recommend the podcast Planet Money from NPR. While they’re not about climate change specifically, they clearly accept that climate change is real and happening and do all of their reporting from that perspective. So the attitude is kind of baked into all of their reporting.

Good luck out there people.

[riklefschutte]

I've made the experience that if you envision the positive alternatives, you can make people less scared and embrace this alternative. Only talking about everybody dying soon, won't create momentum enough. But if you depict a friendlier, more pleasant and more livable future and show the steps towards it, it may just inspire people to go there.

[someshgumachi]

Someone said "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly."
This can change a lot.

[colinhundt]

While I'm glad the discussion of climate change continues to evolve, this video missed a large talking point, maybe the biggest from my perspective. That being the low class workers who work in industries that have been labeled bad for the environment. My background and family's background is from farming, factory work, and potentially other environmentally unfriendly industries. So, when it comes up to a 75 year old 4th generation farmer is being told that what you and your family has been doing for literally generations is destroying the planet, they take offense to that because they think they're feeding people and providing for their family. The same goes for a factory worker, an oil driller, and many other industries with the label. I'm not denying this, but from my perspective this is where the true disconnect is. This can be blamed on corporate greed or government exploitation, but that is irrelevant if the message can't be communicated without this group of people feeling attacked for just surviving. Also, many in this group will fight hard if they're livelihood is threatened. Anyway, this is my perspective. I have no idea for solutions. I just think this also needs to be apart of the discussion. Thank you for reading all of this, and have a great day!

[brodericsparks]

We see the problem a little in cities, but I encourage people who don't believe or don't care to visit national parks and to remember that the entire planet should be lush with that same level of biodiversity. I'm from a farm town in the American Midwest. My father was a denier for years until recently I explained to him all of the species that have either vanished or dwindled in numbers due to mono culture agriculture. I then encouraged him to examine a hand full of topsoil from the soy field behind our house, then to examine the soil in a national park only a few hours away. When he saw the difference in coloration and texture, I was able to explain to him the concept of soil restoration, and how agriculture is inhibiting this natural process in entire U.S. states. Concrete examples close to home are the most effective ways of grabbing attention.

[ronaldkable]

There's a disconnect between all cultures being so strong on family and children on the one hand, and the world's lack of concern for the future of our grandchildren on the other. This is incomprehensible to me

[jerbsherb]

The big issue with climate change is that it is gradual not sudden. I feel like we are experiencing the intensity of climate change building up in the last decade and it is going to continue to worsen in the next few decades.

[KityKatKiller]

I think one way to change it is actually done very well here on this channel: increase the positive reporting. Climate news are often a bit apocalyptic. But increasing reporting about working alternatives, how/where/why/when they work etc is always nice.
Personally I don't really watch or read news about the current state of it. I know it's shit enough that action needs to happen. But I binge watch stuff about possible solutions.

[freekvanteeffelen]

When I talk about climate change in my environment, people look me weird in the eye. I was worried about the climate, but no one wanted to do anything about it. I made me furious. I’ve let it go now. I am focussing less and less on climate change, just becaise of society and also politicians who never care.

[rburkes]

Most people in developed countries don't personally feel the impact of climate change, and therefore don't think about how is going to affect us in the long run, and we are so bombarded with consumerism, that instead of thinking about what's happening in the world around us, we're too worried about the next gadget, clothes, car, house, etc that we are going to buy. The push for climate change needs to come from the government; we can't allow large companies to lobby their special interests so that important climate matters get swept under the run or thrown out altogether.

[j.jokkwan]

Lately been following a lot of documentary from this Channel, learnt a lot 👍

[goutam]

I personally try something.
Like using a pair of clothes for a long time (3yrs)
Won't eat meat, and try to take public transport.
And I just encourage my friends to do the same.

[albaaviles]

I feel like a problem that’s also not talked about that much is that young people (teenagers, kids, young adults) who grew up hearing about climate change are just tired of hearing of it. At least in my experience (I’m currently 17) I’ve grown up hearing about climate change and how in a couple of decades when I’m older the planet is going to be very damaged and how my future kids are going to have a very different and worse life than me. Even in school in classes like geography we were constantly hearing about it and had to do projects with a lot of research about it, and on top of that we were also getting a grade for learning about how our planet is going to die. So much negativity is mentally exhausting for anyone let alone children so I feel like it’s only natural for us to want to forget or ignore these issues as a coping mechanism. In the end projects like fridays for future were often used as an excuse to skip school instead of going because of our genuine concern. I think the way people talk about climate change has got to change a lot and unless we see actual action and solutions taking place instead of hearing empty promises all our lives we most likely won’t feel inclined to help

[medusianAllure]

I like how my hometown is focusing on specific local issues. Cleaning up the lake of factory dumping so the algae blooms recede and people can enjoy the lake again. Reindigenizing plants so we can build ecosystems back.

We really need better knowledge mobilizers and intersectional, interdisciplinary ways to engage. Aka, people to make the issues widely known and connecting the environmental crisis to other social issues. Btw, I picked up the term environmental crisis from watching Sci Show here on You Tube, so knowledge mobilization at work.

[stwg]

The problem in cold climates such as Canada where I’m from is that it’s really easy to want to stop climate change on a 45C day in the summer, but really hard at -40C. In the summer an extremely hot day is a disaster. In the winter a day above freezing everyone is thrilled about it and outside doing things. Talking about how wonderful the warm weather is. 3/4 of the year an unusually hot day is seen as great. Not sure how you change that.

[yanxiangmeng]

9:06 I don't think 'discounting' is the real issue here. Ultimately, it comes down to self interest. People, for the most part, care more about, or at least prioritise their self interest, ensure their own survival, before caring about the greater good. When you ask to de-carbonize, you are not just asking them to simply care about climate change. Because how expensive the alternatives are, you are asking them to make a very significant sacrifice.

Why spend more money on renewables, when you can cut cost with cheap fossil fuels? One could want to do the right thing, but by doing so their competitiveness diminishes on the international market, because there are plenty others who are not making this sacrifice, so the result is nobody is willing to take the costly initiative. It is a economics 'common goods' problem. If history has shown us one thing, is that going against economic forces will never work. Trying to solve climate change by raising awareness and ask people to do the right thing out of the goodness of their hearts is just wishful thinking. The real question is how to make the people/countries who choose to de-carbonise not be punished by economic forces.

[peterwescott]

In April of 2018 I read an Guardian interview with Mayer Hillman whose basic message was “We’re Doomed”. The latest IPCC report is just about ready to say the same thing. We should not be afraid of scaring people. People should be terrified.

[suphommy]

Based on recent laws that have been passed regarding paper straws, it's very apparent that lawmakers and our government can do what they need to do to reduce pollution but it's just not very profitable. They need to do what is right

[adamlea]

One problem with climate change and action is that it is a super evil problem. The activities that contribute to it also give us in the western world a high quality of life, but the costs are externalised into the future and to poorer countries where the climate in some places is already marginal for human habitation. Unfortunately neo-liberal capitalism is all about minimising costs and maximising profit, of which externalising costs and consequences play a huge role. We can never address climate change when the wealthiest countries are engaged in an economic system which encourages it. The other problem is when it comes down to advocating individual actions, is that making a dent in your carbon footprint involves making sacrifices, but without any tangible benefit. For example, I went car free for a couple of years and cycled the 20 mile round trip to work, used public transport to visit family, and did all local journeys on foot or bicycle. To do this involves a significant increase in physical effort, a significant increase in time, a significant increase in planning, an acceptance there are some things you cannot do, and an acceptance of the increased vulnerability of using a bicycle as your primary mode of transport. The latter came back to hit me hard when I was hit by a car on my way to work and spent 7 weeks in hospital with a severe head injury, only barely surviving.