By Jon Ullman
Los Padres Chapter Director
By the time you read this, the trial of former President Trump will be upon us. I would be elated if 17 Senate Republicans muster enough courage to convict although I realize this is unlikely.
This may be because many Republican voters still believe Big Lies: That Trump won the election. That the virus isn’t real. That masks aren’t necessary. That the vaccine is worse than the virus. That there are no racial inequities. And that climate change is a hoax.
Big Lies are our greatest enemy. But Climate Denial is one Big Lie that could be called an Enormous Lie, a lie that will harm all living beings for hundreds of thousands of years. Fighting dangerous disinformation requires resolve, might and persistence. But it can be done.
Several years ago, some students at New College in Florida decided that they would attempt an intervention with fellow student Derek Black, son of the founder of the Stormfront website and godson of former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. Derek himself had his own white supremacy radio show and nationalist website for kids. While most students wanted to isolate and ostracize him, others had, it turns out, a different idea. They’d invited him to Sabbath dinner. It took a lot of dinners, but he eventually condemned and spoke out against his family’s dangerous ideology.
There are other examples. Actress Leah Remini left Scientology and dedicated herself to exposing the abuses. Last year, insiders and family members brought down the cult NXIVM, and its leader is behind bars for life. In all these cases, some sort of intervention took place.
While it’s important to defeat Big Lies and take away power from those who spread them, it is essential to reintroduce the truth to followers too. In the case of climate change, that means someone who has access to the disbelievers must intervene and be persistent.
This won’t be easy, but we can do it. Talk to people outside your comfort zone whether online, on the phone or socially distanced. Work with civic organizations to spread the word about climate change. Reach out to your family members who may have let ideology supersede science.
This is important work. If most Republicans continue to see climate change as a hoax, we have a major problem. We can’t just see-saw between dueling presidential administrations and congressional control. We don’t have the time. We need to build a shared reality if we’re going to survive.
Despite living in progressive California, there are large swaths of residents in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties who deny climate change outright or by degree, and resist efforts to reduce carbon. It could be ideologically or economically based. But we can’t give up on them. Maybe it’s through a social club. Maybe it’s through a family member. Maybe it’s through a religious leader. Maybe it’s through media. Maybe a personal phone call.
It’s hard, messy work. But the clock is ticking, and no challenge is too great an obstacle considering the stakes.