Climate Thoughts with Brian

‘Humanity’s Moment’ is a masterclass in climate communication, with Dr Gergis detailing the climate impacts already being felt and aligning these with real emotional and psychological responses. Dr Gergis served as a lead author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report and is an authority on the climate science underpinning the report. This is not a dry science textbook however, Gergis draws on the recent work by Rebecca Solnit and Caroline Hickman to explore the climate anxiety felt by many around the world. She argues that ‘Until we are prepared to be moved by the profoundly tragic ways we treat the planet-and each other- our behaviour will never change.’

Her aim in ‘Humanity’s Moment’ is to help people recognise that we are here, at this time, despite our wishes to be alive at any other time, or to quote Tolkien, as Gergis does, ‘”I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.”’ And that we have the capacity for great change, as we have done so many times in the past to come together as a species to recognise our humanity. ‘This book is an invitation to reclaim our shared humanity at this transformative time in history, wherever you are in the world. You want to be a part of the group of people who cared enough to try…How bad we let things get is still up to us- the apocalypse is not a done deal.’

Gergis convincingly outlines thatwe must feel the impacts of climate change- we must connect with the impacts- we must respond to the impacts. She draws attention to the need to remove ourselves from a driving, relentless media which aims to enthral our attention with sensation without substance. She praises the uncertainty of science language, but acknowledges that this approach is now widely understood or necessarily appreciated. ‘Its measured pace is in direct conflict with the relentless speed of the news cycle. This means that the loudest voices- which are not necessarily the most informed, or even sane, often dominate public commentary…Hence our use of carefully crafted uncertainty language, which is at odds with the fast and loose approach others are willing to take. Sensational clickbait always seems to win.’

Gergis outlines her argument early in the text- that an understanding and acceptance of the warnings from climate science, have to be met head on with an understanding and acceptance of climate change on every level- physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

To quote Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’: ‘Dispute it like a man. Macduff: I shall do so, / But I must also feel it as a man.’

‘Climate change is real and it is here, and it’s not going away. We need your help.’

Gergis expertly draws out the conclusions from IPCC reports and breaks this into straightforward, easily understood language, which makes the necessary action explicitly clear. ‘Right now, current policies in place today, will lead to 1.9-3.7°C of warming by the end of the century, with a best estimate of 2.6°C…the best-case scenario could see global warming stabilize between 1.4 and 2.8°C by 2100, with 2°C considered most likely. To have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C by 2100, global emissions need to halve by 2030.’

She draws out that the rate of climate change is almost entirely without precedent in the history of the planet and that the last 200 years and the rise of approx. 1.2°C since industrialization, which is around seven times faster than the average rate of warming since the last ice age, where the planet took around 5000 years to warm around 5°C. In short, instead of 0.1°C per century, the planet is now warming at approx. 0.1°C per decade. ‘The current speed of climate change is effectively without precedent in the entire geological record spanning 4.6 billion years. The only exception is the instantaneous meteorite strike that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.’

‘I face them because I must.’

The heatwaves and other climate events of July 2023 have forced the eyes of the public open to an issue, which for many, was ‘psychologically distant’ (to quote Prof Hayhoe). All of a sudden, what seemed a problem for children and grandchildren, was here and now. ‘We know that the planet is warming, but just how quickly and dramatically things are changing is stunning the scientific community.’ It is therefore no accident that Gergis quotes from the World Weather Attribution team- a team which has concluded that the recent heatwaves in Southern Europe were ‘virtually impossible without climate change.’ She additionally makes the case that the IPCC report also can now speak in more absolutes than they have before: ‘Perhaps our most significant conclusion is that it is now an established fact that human activities have altered all aspects of the climate system…In other words, humans are responsible for virtually all observed global warming.’

An aspect that appealed to me about this book was that once Gergis had summarised the scientific conclusions, she then explored what this might mean for individuals and indeed the impact on her herself as a scientist, being deeply immersed in the data. ‘I’m sure you’ll agree that thinking about climate change can be overwhelming. Thinking about it day in day out as a scientist can sometimes feel so crushing…I face these things not because I find it easy or comforting. I face them because I must.’

‘Averting planetary disaster is up to us.’

The first half of ‘Humanity’s Moment’ then, is Dr Gergis succinctly summarising the science that has led us to this point in a rational and reasonably detached manner. Although the book is structured into 3 distinct parts of ‘The Head’, ‘The Heart’ and ‘The Whole’, it felt to me that there was a sense of ‘How we got to this point’, followed by ‘What we do next.’ To truly understand what is at stake, we need to move out of the realm of the head, and into the wisdom of the heart.

The only flaw in Gergis’ approach was perhaps assuming that the scientific information and the rational approach would move people from their entrenched position of denying the impact and extent of climate change.

Gergis could not make it clearer when she writes, ‘It’s a very blunt warning that unless we drastically change course and cut emissions in half by 2030, and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050, we are on track for catastrophic levels of warning that will profoundly alter all life on Earth.’ The sad point is that this statement still isn’t enough to mobilise the necessary climate action in time, leading Gergis to ask- can we muster the best of humanity in time?

‘The Lost World’

Gergis devotes time in her book to appreciating the beauty of nature and biodiversity and to signpost to others the importance of what can be saved, stating ‘We must re-establish our connection with the natural world, restore our care for the Earth and with it our humanity.’

It is relevant that Gergis also spends time exploring in detail the growing impacts of heatwaves and water crises that are crippling communities around the world, especially as multiple countries around the world are burning with heatwaves and wildfires.

But to appreciate the worlds that might be lost- which are being lost- individuals need to connect with nature spots around them. Gergis highlights several sites that offer her a connection to something larger than herself- whether this be the ocean and therefore ocean communities already suffering the impacts of climate change and forced to become ‘climate migrants’- the first of the projected hundreds of millions, depending on the pathway we choose.

‘The Culture of Uncare’

Gergis then moves into a fascinating space- that of the mental health impacts of the growing climate crisis. She purposefully quotes from Caroline Hickman and the University of Bath’s study, as well as Sally Weintrobe’s ‘Culture of Uncare’. Are governments doing enough to address the crisis? Are governments pretending to do enough? As Gergis states: ‘We know exactly what we need to do, but we still aren’t prepared to do it.’

What impact does this have on the young who will be left with a world that has been created for them by the actions of their elders, who appeared too selfish to care about them? Will we all be like Cain, Abel and Seth, bemoaning our exile from the Garden of Eden, based on the selfish actions of Adam and Eve?

‘The IPCC report clearly states that we know we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent between now and 2030 to keep this goal within reach.’

A new day is dawning

Gergis then completes her book by outlining multiple methods where people can take action and can usefully focus their energies to ensure that the message that people do care is a strong one. She argues, ‘We are witnessing the biggest social movement of our time…When we align our values with our actions, we are unstoppable.’

She defends the efforts of climate scientists who have been informing the public for decades and who in recent years have become climate activists in their own right- demonstrating that ‘activism’ should not be regarded as a pejorative, or a lazy slur used on social media.

‘I want you to know that there are scientists who really care about the future we are leaving our kids and their kids a thousand generations from now. We did all we could to warn the world. We tried to minimise the intergenerational damage. What happens next is up to all of us: who you vote for, what you buy, how you spend your brief time on this planet matter more than ever.’

Gergis concludes by arguing that the coming social revolution is inevitable and that positive urgent climate action, which does not rely on desperate technology that cannot be scaled up, is here, if we know where to look with open eyes. ‘This is humanity’s moment to right the wrongs of the past, to heal our relationship with each other and all life on Earth. We just need the moral compass of our shared humanity to guide us home.’

‘Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.’- Arundhati Roy