“To the extent we live today under clouds of uncertainty about climate change, those clouds are projections not of collective ignorance about the natural world but blindness about the human one, and can be dispersed by human action. This is what it means to live beyond the ‘end of nature’—that it is human action that will determine the climate of the future, not systems beyond our control.”
David Wallace-Wells, The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming
Barriers to Environmental Change, Part 1: Science Denialism
Tactics like conspiracy theories and cherry-picking data undermine scientific consensus. Fueled by media, this rejection of facts delays urgent reforms, threatening our planet's survival. Why does denial persist, and what can change?
Barriers to Environmental Change, Part 2: Short-Term Thinking
Human brains prioritize immediate threats while ignoring long-term crises like climate change. Combined with economic short-sightedness, inequality, and moral indifference, this mindset perpetuates inaction. Can empathy challenge entrenched self-interest?
Signs of Promise for a Sustainable Future, Part 1: Global Action
Amid rising climate challenges, global progress accelerates. Legal developments, renewable energy growth, and international pledges reflect collective commitments. Challenges remain, but with cooperation, the 2030 renewable energy goal remains within reach.
Signs of Promise for a Sustainable Future, Part 2: Green Innovation and Shifting Perspectives
Green innovation tackles energy storage and sustainability challenges, while youth leaders inspire global action. Shifting perspectives emphasize moral, economic, and political urgency. Progress is evident, but unified efforts remain essential for a sustainable future.
In the series: A Sustainable Planet
- Our Finite Planet
- Our Climate Crisis—and What We Can Do About It
- Our Looming Global Water Crisis
- Our Plastic Earth
- Rescuing the Planet by Tony Hiss
- The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change
- Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis
- The Big Ratchet
- The Sixth Extinction
- Natural Capitalism
- Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels