"Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors."

-Jonas Salk

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Catastrophizing Disempowers

A recent article was linked on Grist.
A short new briefing (PDF) from the International Institute Environment and Development (IIED) says that media coverage of climate change has improved, but ...

"The false balance that has been a problem for years appears to be declining but a catastrophe narrative that disempowers people remains. Those supplying the media with information -- scientists, politicians and NGOs -- share some of the blame. The way they and the media frame climate change will affect how audiences respond."
It's time we started crafting a more nuanced message: yes, it's serious, but yes, we can do something about it.

No comments: