by Aaron Butler, Volunteer Writer
With climate change mitigation once again at the forefront of American policy, climate change denial is not going anywhere and neither are the swarms of self-interested organizations that stand to profit from popularizing climate change denial.
We’ve all been there; sitting at a table with family, friends, colleagues or even strangers when the now-highly-politicized phrase is heard: “Climate Change!” You hear “I don’t believe in that stuff,” and the hair on your neck begins to bristle as you brace yourself for names like “George Soros” or “Greta Thunberg” to be spoken with a tone of contempt.
Our first instinct in the above scenario may be “fight or flight,” however, neither of these two strategies will do the world any good. So how do we approach this conversation productively? How do we inspire those who have already made their minds up on the subject to do more research without entrenching themselves further into their incorrect position?
Professor Dodd Galbreath, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb University (LU), offered insight into how to approach these difficult conversations in a civil way. Galbreath earned a B.S. in Agricultural Science and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning with an emphasis in Natural Resource Policy. In his career spanning over three decades, Dodd has worked for private corporations, environmental organizations, Tennessee government, and can be currently found shaping eager minds in the field of sustainability at LU. Dodd has often found himself collaborating amongst numerous stakeholders with competing interests as well as various levels of scientific understanding and, in all instances, it is his mission to partner productively in pursuit of mutually beneficial goals. Dodd is quick to share that his insights are by no means a silver bullet to overcome climate change denial, but instead intended to put us in the right frame of mind when discussing climate change.
I shared with Galbreath one of the comments I hear most frequently from Climate Change Deniers: “The climate is always changing!” So, how do we respond? Dodd recommends we start out by acknowledging its validity. Yes, the earth’s climate has changed many times; Professor Galbreath is quick to point out that Middle Tennessee actually sits on a bed of limestone which means an ocean was here. Over the timespan of millions of years, Middle Tennessee has been tropical, glacial, and everything in between. What is new, however, is the current rate of change. “We do have the technology to look millions of years into the past,” Dodd says. “Previous climate changes have taken place, but today things are much different. We’re seeing changes take place over decades and even years; changes that previously it’s taken a cataclysmic event such as a meteor strike or large volcanic eruption to make happen.”
What tips does Galbreath have for staying on the right track during these difficult conversations?
Tip # 1 Show respect and let go of your own judgment. When people feel that you respect them and appreciate them, they are more likely to listen. When they feel that you don’t respect them, they’re more likely to shut down. “We are failing at this right and left,” Galbreath says. “Civility is built into the rules of dialogue. You are contending with people’s worldviews and you’ll hear a lot of, ‘I don’t trust that your information and sources are accurate.’” At this point, it will be helpful to better understand what sources they do trust and why.
Tip #2 Find something they care about, like their budget, and approach it from there. Even people that don’t believe in climate change don’t like the idea of rising expenses. Frame the impacts of climate change in financial terms. “It’s okay to make a breakthrough using an economic point,” Galbreath says. For instance, the reality that food will become more expensive as crops begin to fail is a fact that probably doesn’t sit well with any of us.
Tip #3 Don’t make statements — ask questions. “It’s our job to help them by asking questions that make them want to learn more for themselves,” Galbreath says. For example, try asking something like, “are there any environmental issues that do concern you?” and see where that takes the conversation.
Tip #4 Stay informed on current trends related to climate change. For instance, it’s good to know that a group of Republicans who do believe in climate change, the Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends, recently set up a booth at the 2020 Conservative Political Action Conference, to speak to members of their party who aren’t yet on board with addressing the problem. Sharing this information with a climate change denier may spark some curiosity in them and be their impetus for further investigation.
Remember, this conversation is a marathon, not a sprint. The chances of converting a Denier to a card-carrying Sierra Club member in the span of one conversation are, as my Dad used to say, “slim to none and slim left town.” Taking a lead from Galbreath, instead of attempting to answer all their questions try instead to inspire them to continue asking questions even if the answers are not easily found or understood. Remind them that there is a lot of information out there and that the science is complicated.
In short; be kind, be thoughtful and (most importantly) be patient.
Contact Aaron at abutler@essentialrecruitingllc.com.