The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it
-
0:01 - 0:04It was my first year as
an atmospheric science professor -
0:05 - 0:06at Texas Tech University.
-
0:07 - 0:09We had just moves to Lubbock, Texas,
-
0:09 - 0:12which had recently been named
the second most conservative city -
0:12 - 0:14in the entire United States.
-
0:15 - 0:19A colleague asked me to guest teach
his undergraduate geology class, -
0:19 - 0:20I said, "Sure."
-
0:20 - 0:24But when I showed up,
the lecture hall was cavernous and dark. -
0:24 - 0:27As I tracked the history
of the carbon cycle -
0:27 - 0:29through geologic time to present day,
-
0:29 - 0:32most of the students
were slumped over, dozing -
0:32 - 0:34or looking at their phones.
-
0:34 - 0:37I ended my talk with a hopeful request
for any questions. -
0:38 - 0:41And one hand shot up right away.
-
0:41 - 0:46I looked encouraging, he stood up,
and in a loud voice, he said, -
0:46 - 0:48"You're a democrat, aren't you?"
-
0:48 - 0:50(Laughter)
-
0:50 - 0:52"No," I said, "I'm Canadian."
-
0:52 - 0:55(Laughter)
-
0:55 - 1:00(Applause)
-
1:01 - 1:03That was my baptism by fire
-
1:03 - 1:07into what has now become a sad
fact of life here in the United States, -
1:07 - 1:09and increasingly across Canada, as well.
-
1:10 - 1:12The fact that the number one predictor
-
1:12 - 1:15of whether we agree
that climate is changing, -
1:15 - 1:17humans are responsible,
-
1:17 - 1:20and the impacts are increasingly
serious and even dangerous, -
1:20 - 1:24has nothing to do with how much we know
about science or even how smart we are. -
1:25 - 1:28But simply where we fall
on the political spectrum. -
1:30 - 1:32Does the thermometer give us
a different answer -
1:32 - 1:34depending on if we're liberal
or conservative? -
1:34 - 1:36Of course not.
-
1:37 - 1:41But if that thermometer tells us
that the planet is warming, -
1:41 - 1:43that humans are responsible,
-
1:43 - 1:44and that to fix this thing
-
1:44 - 1:49we have to wean ourselves
off fossil fuels as soon as possible. -
1:50 - 1:52Well, some people would rather
cut off their arm -
1:52 - 1:55than give the government
any further excuse -
1:55 - 1:58to disrupt their comfortable lives
and tell them what to do. -
1:59 - 2:03But saying, "Yes, its a real problem
but I don't want to fix it," -
2:03 - 2:06that makes us the bad guy
and nobody want to be the bad guy. -
2:07 - 2:11So instead, we use arguments like,
"It's just a natural cycle." -
2:11 - 2:13"It's the sun."
-
2:13 - 2:14Or my favorite,
-
2:14 - 2:17"Those climate scientists
are just in it for the money." -
2:17 - 2:19(Laughter)
-
2:19 - 2:21I get that at least once a week.
-
2:22 - 2:26But these are just
sciency-sounding smoke screens, -
2:26 - 2:29that are designed to hide
the real reason for our objections, -
2:29 - 2:32which have nothing to do with the science.
-
2:32 - 2:35And everything to do
with our ideology and our identity. -
2:37 - 2:39So, when we turn on the TV these days,
-
2:39 - 2:42it seems like pundit X is saying,
-
2:42 - 2:44"It's cold outside,
where is global warming now?" -
2:44 - 2:46And politician Y is saying,
-
2:46 - 2:48"For every scientist
who says this thing is real, -
2:48 - 2:50I can find one who says it isn't."
-
2:51 - 2:55So it's no surprise that sometimes we feel
like everybody is saying these myths. -
2:56 - 2:58But when we look at the data,
-
2:58 - 3:00and the Yale program
on climate communication -
3:00 - 3:04has done public opinion polling across
the country now for a number of years, -
3:04 - 3:08the data shows that actually 70 percent
of people in the United States -
3:08 - 3:10agree that climate is changing.
-
3:10 - 3:14And 70 percent also agree
that it will harm plants and animals -
3:14 - 3:16and it will harm future generations.
-
3:17 - 3:21But then when we dig down a bit deeper,
the rubber starts to hit the road. -
3:22 - 3:24Only about 60 percent of people think
-
3:24 - 3:27that it will affect people
in the United States. -
3:27 - 3:31Only 40 percent of people
think it will affect us personally. -
3:33 - 3:37And then when you ask people,
"Do you ever talk about this?" -
3:37 - 3:41Two thirds of people in the entire
United States say, "Never." -
3:43 - 3:46And even worse, when you say,
"Do you hear the media talk about this?" -
3:46 - 3:49Over three quarters of people say no.
-
3:51 - 3:52So, it's a viscous cycle.
-
3:54 - 3:55The planet warms.
-
3:55 - 3:57Heat waves get stronger.
-
3:57 - 3:59Heavy precipitation gets more frequent.
-
3:59 - 4:01Hurricanes get more intense.
-
4:01 - 4:04Scientists release yet another
doom-filled report. -
4:05 - 4:10Politicians push back even more strongly,
repeating the same sciency-sounding myths. -
4:12 - 4:14What can we do to break
this viscous cycle? -
4:15 - 4:19The number one thing we can do
is the exact thing that we're not doing. -
4:20 - 4:21Talk about it.
-
4:23 - 4:25But you might say, "I'm not a scientist,
-
4:25 - 4:27how am I supposed to talk
about radiative forcing -
4:27 - 4:30or cloud parametrization
and climate models?" -
4:31 - 4:33We don't need to be talking
about more science, -
4:33 - 4:36we've been talking about
the science for over 150 years. -
4:37 - 4:42Did you know that it's been
150 years or more since the 1850s, -
4:42 - 4:44when climate scientists first discovered
-
4:44 - 4:48that digging up and burning
coal and gas and oil -
4:48 - 4:50is producing heat-trapping gases
-
4:50 - 4:52that is wrapping an extra blanket
around the planet? -
4:52 - 4:54That's how long we've known.
-
4:54 - 4:58It's been 50 years since scientists
first formally warned a US president -
4:58 - 5:00of the dangers of a changing climate,
-
5:00 - 5:03and that president was Lyndon B. Johnson.
-
5:03 - 5:07And what's more,
the social science has taught us -
5:07 - 5:13that if people have built their identity
on rejecting a certain set of facts, -
5:13 - 5:18then arguing over those facts
is a personal attack. -
5:18 - 5:20It causes them to dig in deeper
-
5:20 - 5:23and it digs a trench,
rather than building a bridge. -
5:24 - 5:27So, if we aren't supposed to talk
about more science, -
5:27 - 5:29if we don't need to talk
about more science, -
5:29 - 5:31what should we be talking about?
-
5:31 - 5:35The most important thing to do,
is instead of starting up with your head, -
5:35 - 5:37with all the data and facts in our head,
-
5:37 - 5:38to start from the heart.
-
5:39 - 5:42To start by talking
about why it matters to us. -
5:44 - 5:47To begin with genuinely shared values.
-
5:47 - 5:49Are we both parents?
-
5:49 - 5:51Do we live in the same community?
-
5:52 - 5:57Do we enjoy the same outdoor activities,
hiking, biking, fishing, even hunting? -
5:58 - 6:01Do we care about the economy
or national security? -
6:02 - 6:05For me, one of the most foundational ways
I found to connect with people -
6:05 - 6:06is through my faith.
-
6:07 - 6:11As a Christian, I believe that God created
this incredible planet that we live on, -
6:11 - 6:15and gave us responsibility
over every living thing on it. -
6:15 - 6:18And I furthermore believe
that we are to care for and love -
6:18 - 6:20the least fortunate among us.
-
6:20 - 6:23Those who are already suffering
the impacts of poverty, -
6:23 - 6:24hunger, disease and more.
-
6:25 - 6:29If you don't know what
the values are that someone has, -
6:29 - 6:33have a conversation, get to know them,
figure out what makes them tick. -
6:33 - 6:35And then once we have,
-
6:35 - 6:41all we have to do is connect the dots
between the values they already have, -
6:41 - 6:43and why they would care
about a changing climate. -
6:44 - 6:47I truly believe, after
thousands of conversations -
6:47 - 6:49that I've had over the past
decade and more, -
6:49 - 6:52that just about every single
person in the world -
6:52 - 6:55already has the values they need
to care about a changing climate, -
6:55 - 6:57they just haven't connected the dots.
-
6:57 - 7:01And that's what we can do
through our conversation with them. -
7:02 - 7:04The only reason why I care
about a changing climate, -
7:04 - 7:06is because of who I already am.
-
7:07 - 7:09I'm a mother, so I care
about the future of my child. -
7:10 - 7:13I live in west Texas
where water is already scarce, -
7:13 - 7:16and climate change is impacting
the availability of that water. -
7:17 - 7:19I'm a Christian, I care
about a changing climate -
7:19 - 7:22because it is, as the military calls it,
a threat multiplier. -
7:23 - 7:25It takes those issues,
-
7:25 - 7:29like poverty and hunger and disease
and lack of access to clean water, -
7:29 - 7:32and even political crises
that lead to refugee crises. -
7:32 - 7:35It takes all of these issues
and it exacerbates them, -
7:35 - 7:36it makes them worse.
-
7:37 - 7:38I'm not a Rotarian.
-
7:39 - 7:41But when I gave my first talk
at a Rotary club, -
7:41 - 7:45I walked in and they had this giant banner
that had the Four-Way Test on it. -
7:47 - 7:48Is it the truth?
-
7:48 - 7:49Absolutely.
-
7:50 - 7:51Is it fair?
-
7:51 - 7:53Heck, no, that's why I care
most about climate change, -
7:53 - 7:55because it is absolutely unfair.
-
7:55 - 7:57Those who have contributed
the least to the problem -
7:57 - 7:59are bearing the grunt of the impacts.
-
7:59 - 8:00It went on to ask,
-
8:00 - 8:03"Would it be beneficial to all,
would it build good will?" -
8:03 - 8:05Well, to fix it, certainly would.
-
8:05 - 8:08So I took my talk and I reorganized it
-
8:08 - 8:10into the Four-Way Test
-
8:10 - 8:13and then I gave it to this group
of conservative business people -
8:13 - 8:14in West Texas.
-
8:15 - 8:17And I will never forget at the end,
-
8:17 - 8:21a local bank owner came up to me
with the most bemused look on his face. -
8:22 - 8:25And he said, "You know, I wasn't sure
about this whole global warming thing, -
8:25 - 8:28but it passed the Four-Way Test."
-
8:28 - 8:30(Laughter)
-
8:30 - 8:36(Applause)
-
8:38 - 8:41These values, though,
they have to be genuine. -
8:41 - 8:44I was giving a talk at a Christian college
a number of years ago, -
8:44 - 8:48and after my talk, a fellow scientist
came up and he said, -
8:48 - 8:49"I need some help.
-
8:49 - 8:51I've been really trying hard
-
8:51 - 8:54to get my foot in the door
with our local churches. -
8:54 - 8:56But I can't seem to get any traction,
-
8:56 - 8:59I want to talk to them
about why climate change matters." -
8:59 - 9:01So I said, "Well, the best thing to do
-
9:01 - 9:04is to start with the denomination
that you're part of, -
9:04 - 9:06because you share the most values
with those people. -
9:06 - 9:08What type of church do you attend?"
-
9:09 - 9:11"Oh, I don't attend any church,
I'm an atheist," he said. -
9:11 - 9:12(Laughter)
-
9:13 - 9:15I said, "Well, in that case,
starting with the faith community -
9:15 - 9:17is probably not the best idea.
-
9:18 - 9:21Let's talk about what you do enjoy doing,
what you are involved in," -
9:21 - 9:23and we were able to identify
a community group -
9:23 - 9:25that he was part of,
that he could start with. -
9:26 - 9:29The bottom line is, we don't have to be
a liberal tree-hugger -
9:29 - 9:31to care about a changing climate.
-
9:31 - 9:34All we have to be is a human,
living on this planet. -
9:35 - 9:37Because no matter where we live,
-
9:37 - 9:41climate change is already
affecting us today. -
9:43 - 9:45If we live along the coasts,
-
9:45 - 9:49in many places we're already seeing
sunny day flooding. -
9:50 - 9:52If we live in the western North America,
-
9:52 - 9:56we're seeing much greater area
being burned by wildfires. -
9:57 - 9:59If we live in many coastal locations,
-
9:59 - 10:01from the Gulf of Mexico
to the south Pacific, -
10:01 - 10:06we are seeing stronger hurricanes,
typhoons and cyclones, -
10:06 - 10:07powered by a warming ocean.
-
10:08 - 10:11If we live in Texas
or if we live in Syria, -
10:11 - 10:13we're seeing climate change
super-size our droughts, -
10:13 - 10:15making them more frequent and more severe.
-
10:16 - 10:19Wherever we live, we're already
being affected by a changing climate -
10:19 - 10:22So you might say, "OK, that's good,
we can talk impacts, -
10:22 - 10:24we can scare the pants off people.
-
10:24 - 10:27Because this thing is serious."
-
10:27 - 10:29And it is, believe me,
I'm a scientist, I know. -
10:29 - 10:30(Laughter)
-
10:30 - 10:34But fear is not
what is going to motivate us -
10:34 - 10:38for the long-term, sustained change
we need to fix this thing. -
10:39 - 10:42Fear is designed to help us
run away from the bear. -
10:42 - 10:44Or just ran faster
than the person beside us. -
10:44 - 10:46(Laughter)
-
10:47 - 10:52What we need to fix this thing
is rational hope. -
10:53 - 10:56Yes, we absolutely do need
to recognize what's at stake. -
10:56 - 10:58Of course we do.
-
10:59 - 11:02But we need a vision of a better future.
-
11:03 - 11:05A future with abundant energy.
-
11:06 - 11:08With a stable economy.
-
11:08 - 11:10With resources available to all.
-
11:10 - 11:15Where our lives are not worse
but better than they are today. -
11:16 - 11:18There are solutions.
-
11:18 - 11:22And that's why the second important
thing that we have to talk about -
11:22 - 11:23is solutions.
-
11:24 - 11:29Practical, viable, accessible,
attractive solutions. -
11:29 - 11:31Like what?
-
11:31 - 11:33Well, there's no
silver bullet as they say, -
11:33 - 11:35but there's plenty of silver buckshot.
-
11:35 - 11:37(Laughter)
-
11:39 - 11:41There are simple solutions
that save us money -
11:41 - 11:43and reduce our carbon footprint
at the same time. -
11:44 - 11:45Yes, light bulbs.
-
11:46 - 11:47I love my plug-in car.
-
11:48 - 11:50I'd like some solar shingles.
-
11:50 - 11:53But imagine if every home
-
11:53 - 11:55came with a switch beside the front door,
-
11:55 - 11:57that when you left the house,
-
11:57 - 12:00you could turn off everything
except your fridge, and maybe the DVR. -
12:00 - 12:02(Laughter)
-
12:02 - 12:03Lifestyle choices.
-
12:04 - 12:07Eating local, eating lower
down the food chain, -
12:07 - 12:09and reducing food waste,
-
12:09 - 12:10which at the global scale
-
12:10 - 12:14is one of the most important things
that we can do to fix this problem. -
12:14 - 12:16I'm a climate scientist,
-
12:16 - 12:20so the irony of traveling around
to talk to people about a changing climate -
12:20 - 12:22is not lost on me.
-
12:22 - 12:23(Laughter)
-
12:24 - 12:27The biggest part of my personal
carbon footprint is my travel. -
12:28 - 12:31And that's why I carefully
collect my invitations, -
12:31 - 12:34I usually don't go anywhere
unless I have a critical mass -
12:34 - 12:36of invitations in one place,
-
12:36 - 12:37anywhere from three to four,
-
12:37 - 12:41to sometimes even as many as
10 or 15 talks in a given place. -
12:41 - 12:44So I can minimize the impact
of my carbon footprint -
12:44 - 12:45as much as possible.
-
12:45 - 12:49And I've transitioned nearly
three quarters of the talks I give -
12:49 - 12:50to video.
-
12:50 - 12:53Often, people will say,
"Well, we've never done that before." -
12:53 - 12:56But I say, "Well, let's give it a try,
I think it could work." -
12:59 - 13:00Most of all, though,
-
13:00 - 13:04we need to talk about what's already
happening today around the world -
13:04 - 13:06and what could happen in the future.
-
13:07 - 13:08Now, I live in Texas.
-
13:08 - 13:13And Texas has the highest carbon emissions
of any state in the United States. -
13:13 - 13:16You might say, "Well,
what can you talk about in Texas?" -
13:16 - 13:18The answer is, a lot.
-
13:19 - 13:21Did you know that in Texas
-
13:21 - 13:25there's over 25,000 jobs
in the wind energy industry? -
13:25 - 13:28We are almost up to 20 percent
of our electricity -
13:28 - 13:31from clean, renewable sources,
most of that wind, -
13:31 - 13:32though solar is growing quickly.
-
13:33 - 13:35The largest army base
in the United States, -
13:35 - 13:37Fort Hood, is, of course, in Texas.
-
13:38 - 13:42And they've been powered
by wind and solar energy now -
13:42 - 13:45because it's saving tax payers
over 150 million dollars. -
13:46 - 13:47Yes.
-
13:47 - 13:52(Applause)
-
13:52 - 13:55What about those who don't have
the resources that we have? -
13:56 - 13:59In sub-Saharan Africa,
there are hundreds of millions of people -
13:59 - 14:01who don't have access
to any type of energy, -
14:01 - 14:03except kerosine, and it's very expensive.
-
14:03 - 14:05Around the entire world,
-
14:05 - 14:10the fastest growing type
of new energy today is solar. -
14:11 - 14:13And they have plenty of solar.
-
14:14 - 14:19So, social impact investors,
nonprofits, even corporations -
14:19 - 14:22are going in and using innovative
new micro financing schemes -
14:22 - 14:24like, pay-as-you-go solar.
-
14:25 - 14:28So that people can buy
the power they need in increments, -
14:28 - 14:29sometimes even on their cell phone.
-
14:30 - 14:33One company, Azuri, has distributed
tens of thousands of units -
14:33 - 14:36across 11 countries,
from Rwanda to Uganda. -
14:37 - 14:41They estimate that they've powered
over 30 million hours of electricity -
14:41 - 14:44and over 10 million hours
of cell phone charging. -
14:45 - 14:48What about the giant growing
economies of China and India? -
14:50 - 14:53Well, climate impacts might seem
a little further down the road, -
14:53 - 14:55but air quality impacts
are right here today. -
14:55 - 14:59And they know that clean energy
is essential to powering their future. -
15:00 - 15:05So China is investing hundreds
of billions of dollars in clean energy. -
15:06 - 15:07They're flooding coal mines
-
15:07 - 15:10and they're putting floating
solar panels on the surface. -
15:10 - 15:12They also have a panda-shaped solar farm.
-
15:12 - 15:14(Applause)
-
15:14 - 15:15(Laughter)
-
15:15 - 15:17Yes, they're still burning coal.
-
15:17 - 15:20But they've shut down
all the coal plants around Beijing. -
15:21 - 15:23And in India, they're looking to replace
-
15:23 - 15:27a quarter of a billion
incandescent light bulbs with LEDs, -
15:27 - 15:30which will save them
seven billion dollars in energy costs. -
15:31 - 15:33They're investing in green jobs,
-
15:33 - 15:37and they're looking to decarbonize
their entire vehicle fleet. -
15:37 - 15:40India may be the first country
to industrialize -
15:40 - 15:42without relying primarily on fossil fuels.
-
15:44 - 15:46The world is changing.
-
15:46 - 15:49But it just isn't changing fast enough.
-
15:49 - 15:52Too often, we picture this problem
as a giant boulder, -
15:52 - 15:54sitting at the bottom of a hill,
-
15:54 - 15:57with only a few hands on it,
trying to roll it up the hill. -
15:57 - 16:00But in reality, that boulder
is already at the top of the hill. -
16:00 - 16:02And it's got hundreds
of millions of hands, -
16:02 - 16:04maybe even billions on it,
pushing it down. -
16:04 - 16:07It just isn't going fast enough.
-
16:07 - 16:12So how do we speed up that giant boulder
so we can fix climate change in time? -
16:13 - 16:14You guessed it.
-
16:14 - 16:17The number one way is by talking about it.
-
16:18 - 16:19The bottom line is this.
-
16:21 - 16:23Climate change is affecting you and me
-
16:23 - 16:27right here, right now,
in the places where we live. -
16:29 - 16:31But by working together, we can fix it.
-
16:32 - 16:33Sure it's a daunting problem.
-
16:33 - 16:36Nobody knows that
more than us, climate scientists. -
16:36 - 16:39But we can't give in to despair.
-
16:39 - 16:42We have to go out and actively look
for the hope that we need, -
16:42 - 16:45that will inspire us to act.
-
16:45 - 16:50And that hope begins
with the conversation today. -
16:51 - 16:52Thank you.
-
16:52 - 16:58(Applause)
- Title:
- The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it
- Speaker:
- Katharine Hayhoe
- Description:
-
How do you talk to someone who doesn't believe in climate change? In this inspiring, pragmatic talk, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe shows how the key to having a real discussion is to connect over shared values like family, community and religion -- and to prompt people to realize that they already care about a changing climate. "We can't give in to despair," she says. "We have to go out and look for the hope we need to inspire us to act -- and that hope begins with a conversation, today."
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 17:11
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Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | |
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Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it |