Experts have again raised the alarm about the critical need for climate action. So why are politicians slow to act and how can we combat climate apathy?
If current policies continue, the latest UN Emissions Gap report says, the world is on course for warming of 3.1 degrees celsius in annual global temperatures over the course of this century. : Pexels: Markus Spiske Free to use
Experts have again raised the alarm about the critical need for climate action. So why are politicians slow to act and how can we combat climate apathy?
October was a bleak month for climate news. Warning after warning after warning came from scientists around the world that we are on the brink of catastrophe.
One report found greenhouse gas levels globally surged to a new record in 2023 while a team of international scientists published a paper which said: “We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt.”
So why does it feel like nobody is listening? Many people have switched off and tuned out. Some experts argue climate apathy — rather than climate denialism — is now the bigger threat to climate action.
In 360info’s latest episode of Leave It To The Experts, we dig into climate apathy (and how household income stress might play into it); individuals’ behavioural and psychological responses to stark climate news; and how the changing media landscape shapes the way we receive climate news.
Plus, the experts weigh in on solutions to the climate crisis — for governments, big corporates, and individuals.
Experts joining us for this episode include Dr Jaclyn Brown, Research Director for the Climate Intelligence Program and the lead of CSIRO’s Climate Science Centre; Nerilie Abram, Professor of Climate Science at The Australian National University and Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science and the Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century; Ben Newell, Professor of Behavioural Science in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney and Director of the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response (ICRR); and Dr Lucy Richardson, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Communication Research Hub at Monash University.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
Editors Note: In the story “State of the climate” sent at: 01/11/2024 11:17.
This is a corrected repeat.
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