Why Humans Can't Process Climate Change
A very much needed and urgent change in our actions is more necessary than ever with regards to the climate crisis we face as a whole. Climate change is an existential threat to our species, as well as every single other living organism on this planet. Our minds can't seem to process the catastrophic events climate change has on our planet. However, the role of emotions in environmental decision making can have a profound effect.
Human behavior is one of the hardest variables as part of this equation of predictions and probabilities in the future of all living beings existence. Our actions as a species, are contributing to the increase of green house gases and global warming, and therefore causing a long chain reaction of climate change. We are now losing species 1,000 times faster, ultimately speeding up the extinction rates of these creatures like anything unseen before. By mid century, 30-40% of these beautiful and unique species we share this Earth with, will exist no more.
We are already seeing the causes and effects of climate change, due to our actions and impacts we make on the planet. But why when we are presented with statistics, facts, and science behind this environmental crisis, can we not fully process it?
Due to our fight or flight response, when we are presented with the graphs and numbers, human beings do not initially react to the information being given to us. Our bodies would only react unless we are in a situation in which our flight or fight response is triggered, for instance if someone was running toward us, we would immediately act and move out of the way. Or if a ball was being thrown towards us, we would immediately act and either dodge the ball or catch it. Many of the events caused by global warming and climate change are already occurring, and will continue to occur and lead us to a point in the near future of an irreversible chain reaction in which the temperature of our planet will already be too hot, and the pH of our oceans will be too acidic, and the non-renewable energy sources we rely on will simply not exist. We cannot process these events because we do not see the gradual change over time. This is a very difficult problem to tackle when we do not know how to solve the problem correctly.
But we do know how to solve the problem when addressing climate change and the affects of global warming, correctly. The solution is changing the ways in which we talk about climate change.
Human beings act on their emotions. We are empathetic living beings that care about others around us, and when there is an emotional plea, people are more likely to act and do something about the situation at hand. Our emotions influence the affects we have on environmental issues. Think about the organizations supporting saving the whales, or legislations that have been passed to keep dolphins safe when fishing for tuna, or the actions made in taking down dams to preserve ecosystems and the animals that live in them. When we love something and when we value something, we take action that is necessary to protect and preserve them.
We need to work altogether to preserve the environment, safety, and security of our planet. Pour your hearts into these issues, and do whatever it takes to make a difference in helping our world and each other.
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Town and Country Magazine
-rabid-
Jack Wheatley
Andrea J. Leahy
