A Controversial Play — and What It Taught Me About the Psychology of Climate | David Finnigan | TED

When playwright David Finnigan launched a new play in 2014, controversially titled "Kill Climate Deniers," he was not prepared for the blowback. But the conversations with climate skeptics of all stripes ultimately taught him a fascinating lesson about how many of us think about — and act upon — the climate crisis. (Recorded at TED2024 on April 17, 2024)

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[erinharbacek]

He makes some good points here but I really wish we could move the conversation of climate science to understanding instead of “believing”. Do you UNDERSTAND climate science…. Not do you “believe in it” that makes it an opinion, which it is not.

[DeadCat-]

I had to point out to a young denier that I own a pair of Ice skates.. I live in Southern Ohio. It hasn't been cold enough to ice skate here in 30 years. I just looked at the 20 something and said, "I own Ice skates, I used to Ice skate HERE as a child." (the last ten years we barely had snow) he actually looked thoughtful .. like "Oh, how do I deny this?" . I asked him if he's ever been ice skating outside? I told him flatly, this isn't the same climate I grew up in. It has changed a great deal. My brother in law was a climate denier, but he's also a diary farmer, it's been a decade since he changed his mind because reality is where farmers live.

The Climate HAS CHANGED already.

[hunnybunny]

The immovable object is not politics... It's greed.

[jabezcrisp]

Funny that he says 'I believe in the science of climate change.'
We don't talk about any other science this way, because it doesn't require your faith. 'I understand the science of climate change' is the accurate way to put it.

[FindTheFun]

You can read Calvin and Hobbes comics from the 80s and even back then they are complaining about Climate Change and how nothing is being done to fix it. This has been a LONG time coming.

[GaryOsmondson]

For the first time in earth history a species is aware of an impending mass extinction, but largely chooses to ignore it.

[EchoRumple]

My late father worked for NOAA/NODC for nearly 30 years. He basically helped to make the oceanographic data available for public viewing, so he knew damn well that climate change was real. Statistics may be difficult to master, more so to present it comprehensively, but there's no denying we're cooked, metaphorically AND literally.

[ZodyZody]

I think a large part of inaction is the overwhelming feeling of helplessness in the face of such astronomical changes that we now face.

[Marchant]

Who to listen to when it comes to climate change:

1) PHDs in climate science who have spent the majority of their lives investigating climate change and who have all come to the same conclusion: mankind is causing the earth to heat up.

2) Joe Schmoe who drives a gas guzzling pickup truck and who works at a call center in any given city.

That's a tough one.

[christopherlund]

I am sure this has been said before: A self fulfilled prophesy. The more this is delayed, the more and drastic those consequences they fear will become.

[SimonBransfieldGarth]

The underlying question you are asking is "collectively, how much should we change our behaviours to benefit other people?". The collective answer seems to be "not much". The next question will come in the future "how much should we collectively change our behaviours to benefit ourselves (i.e when climate change is directly affecting wealthy northern nations, not just largely poorer countries in the tropics)?" That is probably still some years away.

[comotucovfefe]

Mother Nature does not negotiate. Bon voyage!

[kareltracy]

I remember hearing professors complain in early1996 about how attendees at an environmental conference had come there by planes, and how we as students in a wilderness survival course often reached the parks by burning fossil fuels.

[goodfortunetoyou]

The key point here is not to address understanding, it is to address consequences.
By all means, fix the climate, but when you propose a policy, make sure that your proposal benefits the class of people who don't care about it. Don't argue with them, get them on board.

[yamboo]

In germany we have a saying: Nach mir die Sintflut. Which basically means, that i accept the facts of climate change, but by the time, it hurts my life, i'm already six feet under. Let the next generations deal with it, i don't want to change my habits. And that is the way, 90% of western world people behave.

[chuckbisbee]

I have always said to my friends as a gardener: "Nature doesn't give a f**k what you do, say, or believe. It will just keep right on doing what it has always done, chugging along without a care." Only people care or don't.

[josephmatuszak]

What I learned is, most of humanity is arrogantly ignorant to any danger until it hits them in the face.

[federicomedinauy]

The premise of the talk is good, but I think the conclusion is innacurate.

The problem with climate change is deniers is that they prevent the conversation to move forward. We can’t productively talk about how to tackle the problem when we’re still stuck on whether it’s a real issue or not. And this is especially problematic when it reaches politicians.

[hallodidldu]

One aspect is missing. The massage therapists and the highschool teachers nowadays do not simply trust anymore in what schientists say. They want to UNDERSTAND what’s going on. And here comes the problem: in order to understand, you have to spend your life studying on a certain, very narrow topic. No non-scientist is able to do that in parallel to normal life. At the same time, by nature a human being‘s brain can hardly stand that there is something it is not able to understand. This causes frustration and anger. Now there comes a guy, ‚explaining‘ or better teaching a complex topic like climate change in very simple words and statements like „climate was always changing“ or „plants need CO2 to grow, so why bother?“. And guess what, such simple statements are directly ‚understood‘ by most people‘s brains and their ego is pleased. Now, they are able to go into a conversation on such a complex topic like climate change and tell by themselves to other people or even scientists what’s really going on. Because they ‚understood‘. And that feels so powerful.
Now, try to take this ‚power of understanding‘ back from all these people and convince them that they have been stupid and did NOT understand anything. Good luck.

[Phoenix]

I think you're giving most climate deniers far too much credit. In my opinion, it simply comes down to petty tribalism and identity politics, not an analysis of the actual science or the consequences of a changing climate. There is a reason why there is a strong correlation between climate denial and the acceptance of other conspiracy theories.