CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES NEED TO BE BOILED DOWN TO THE BASICS

…A climate change demonstration in New York City

Climate change supporters need to simplify their message.

I am beginning to think that it’s getting too difficult to discuss climate change, especially with the man-child that is residing in the White House.

The reason I say that is that it’s becoming clear that the advocates need to boil things down to an understanding that makes it simple to explain and understand.

First, the advocates need to repeat over and over again that the president is clueless and that he has no understanding that it’s for real, and that most people do agree it’s real.  It should become one of the climate advocates “talking points” that keeps being repeated.

The second point is that climate change proponents tend to get all wound up in describing the phenomenon.  They need to simplify the steps for addressing the ways to address the issue.

They have to stay away from those extreme ways that immediately turn the average American off, like everyone needing to become a vegan and that we must give up airplane travel to address climate change.

Many advocates turn to the many multi-pronged technical white papers that have been made public, and that approach immediately puts people to sleep.

Instead, it would be far more helpful to deal with educating the public of the basic cost of what climate change costs the average American.  And to describe that not only its costs, but also the cost savings of taking it head-on by ending fossil-fuel and coal subsidies and the benefits of re-training these workers for new, green-energy jobs.

Today, we automatically accept that modern medicine comes with a cost, but it also is essential for saving lives.  It also plays a vital role in our economy because about 18% of gross domestic product (GDP) is related to health care.  But the same is true of the science and technology necessary to prevent the planet from cooking.  And not believing in climate change is the same as not believing in germ theory, or the negative effect of cigarettes.

If the end result of dealing with climate change is a million or more good-paying jobs, but the added monthly cost is equivalent to a Starbucks latte, then the public just might conclude this is a very good deal. 

It is vastly important for climate change proponents to make the American public know just how much unrestricted climate change is costing us.  For example, the emergency funding for dealing with devastating weather disasters and the lost crops and property damage and the increased health costs.

Advocates of climate change need to be wise and to break down their plans into three basic areas.

1. What government must do, what business must do and what individuals must do.

2. Rather than set a deadline for achieving their goals, it would be far more helpful to describe, not only the costs but also the cost savings and the benefits of the new green-energy jobs.

3. Climate-change denial needs to become a political liability, just as an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) is becoming a liability in all but the deepest Red states.

The conversation now needs to turn to the cost/benefits of fighting climate change, not all the nitty-gritty details.  Americans need to understand what it will cost to not do something as well as the benefits, financial and otherwise, of acting in support of fighting climate change.

The reality is that dealing with climate change needs to be turned into a saying like when Bill Clinton was running for his first term in the White House.  At that time, all he had to says when he was asked why you should vote for him, he had the saying that said it all when he said: “It’s the economy, stupid!”

Copyright G. Ater 2019