Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of

leadership in the long emergency S 99
must also understand ecology, Earth systems science, and the multiple
ways in which public policy and natural systems interact—
what is emerging as “the new science of sustainability” (Goerner,
Dyck, and Lagerroos, 2008).
In the years ahead, the situation will likely get a great deal worse
before it improves. This president and those to follow, accordingly,
must communicate in ways that sustain public morale and keep
the vision of a sustainable society in clear focus. In his inaugural
address, Roosevelt, the master psychologist, aimed to calm public
fears: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” But that
was a public on the edge of desperation. The public presently
may or may not be less fearful, but it is certainly more confused
about climate change and what can be done about it at a time
of economic distress. It is perhaps beyond the “tipping point” of
awareness about the issue, but has not yet grasped the seriousness
of climate change or the kind of choices that must be made. As
the effects of climate destabilization become more apparent, however,
public apathy and confusion may shift to desperation, panic,
and possibly the search for scapegoats. In those circumstances,
presidents can choose communications strategies that range from
Churchill’s “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” approach to sunny optimism
at the other extreme. In either case, as the situation becomes
darker, presidents must appeal to the better angels of our nature,
framing the issues as those of intergenerational fairness and morality.
Whatever the specifi c content, the president’s communication
strategy, like Lincoln’s, ought to rise above the divisions of right
and left, liberal and conservative, to identify common interests and
present a vision of higher ground beyond.
The substance and style of political communication must be
matched, in other words, to the time and to the public need for
reassurance, clear direction, and honest information artfully delivered.
In recent decades, however, the standards for presidential
communication have fallen considerably, victim of the demands of
television, which emphasize appearance over content, and polling