September 22, 2022 – Amid the gloom and doom that typically shape news and discussions about climate change, a growing number of thought leaders are focusing instead on the positive efforts that are underway in the fight against global warming.
According to experts quoted in a September 19 article in the Christian Science Monitor, being hopeful about the work being done to address climate change can help further that work. The article outlined some of the positives in the climate realm, such as when California consumers recently voluntarily curbed their energy consumption during a heat wave, saving the state from blackouts.
One of those featured in the article was Marcy Franck, senior communications strategist at the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE), who produces C-CHANGE’s newsletter, The Climate Optimist.
It’s important to acknowledge that climate change can make people feel overwhelmed and powerless, Franck said. But she added, “Being optimistic and having hope, I think, is a practice where you can recenter, focus on the things that are going right, and focus on the solutions that are already taking hold.” She added, “It’s human nature to focus on the problem. But it feels so much better to focus on the solution.”
Franck also spoke about climate optimism on “The Pattrn Show,” the Weather Channel’s show about trends in climate and sustainability. She pointed out that the Inflation Reduction Act, recently passed by Congress, as well as other recent legislation, are helping speed the transition to a clean economy by providing support for wind and solar power, batteries to store power when it’s not windy or sunny, transmission lines to carry energy to where it’s most needed, and the electrification of the nation’s transportation system.
“If you’re feeling doom,” she said, “it may just be that you’re not aware of all the things that are going right.”
Read the Christian Science Monitor article: Rise of the climate optimists, pushing back against gloom
Watch Marcy Franck on the Weather Channel’s “The Pattrn Show”: Climate Optimism: Finding the Silver Linings
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