Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
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S<br />
164 far<strong>the</strong>r horizons<br />
how <strong>the</strong> opportunities would work out for those now in <strong>the</strong><br />
crosshairs <strong>of</strong> rising seas, larger fl oods, bigger s<strong>to</strong>rms, prolonged<br />
droughts, and searing heat waves. These are smart students, but<br />
<strong>the</strong>y refl ect both <strong>the</strong> optimism <strong>of</strong> youth and <strong>the</strong> deep tendency<br />
<strong>to</strong> deny unpleasant things now amplifi ed by a culture moving<br />
at warp speed. We, particularly in <strong>the</strong> West, are inclined <strong>to</strong><br />
interpret all diffi culties and impediments as merely problems<br />
that are by defi nition solvable with enough money, research,<br />
and technology.<br />
For ano<strong>the</strong>r thing, we know that people <strong>of</strong>ten hold two contrary<br />
beliefs at <strong>the</strong> same time and remain happily oblivious <strong>to</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> contradictions. Psychologists call this “cognitive dissonance”<br />
(Festinger, 1957). The trait manifests itself among those whose<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essed creed requires loving one’s enemies while at <strong>the</strong> same<br />
time zealously bombing <strong>the</strong> hell out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m, without <strong>the</strong> slightest<br />
twitch <strong>of</strong> confusion. Having invested in an opinion or worldview<br />
or having made a particular decision, we go <strong>to</strong> considerable<br />
lengths <strong>to</strong> maintain <strong>the</strong> investment. “Confronted with dissonant<br />
information,” as Tavris and Aronson put it, “<strong>the</strong> reasoning areas <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> brain virtually shut down” (Tavris and Aronson, 2007, p. 19).<br />
Confronted with evidence <strong>of</strong> <strong>climate</strong> change, deniers exhibit<br />
classic symp<strong>to</strong>ms <strong>of</strong> cognitive dissonance. But o<strong>the</strong>rs, who admit<br />
<strong>the</strong> reality <strong>of</strong> <strong>climate</strong> change, <strong>of</strong>ten do <strong>the</strong> same by denying <strong>the</strong><br />
severity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> crisis. Humans, perhaps, are not so much rational<br />
creatures as very pr<strong>of</strong>i cient rationalizers.<br />
Psychologists know, <strong>to</strong>o, that we are prone <strong>to</strong> conform <strong>to</strong> peer<br />
pressure and group opinions even when those defy <strong>the</strong> evidence<br />
<strong>of</strong> our own senses (Asch, 1955). It is <strong>the</strong> same trait described in <strong>the</strong><br />
s<strong>to</strong>ry about <strong>the</strong> child who noted <strong>the</strong> emperor’s nakedness while<br />
<strong>the</strong> adults denied <strong>the</strong> naked truth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> matter. The pressures <strong>to</strong><br />
conform can work <strong>to</strong> preserve our nastier traits, such as racism<br />
or dubious opinions about climatic change, as long as <strong>the</strong>y fi t <strong>the</strong><br />
group opinion. But <strong>the</strong>y can also help <strong>to</strong> preserve our better traits,<br />
once <strong>the</strong>y are integrated in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> larger culture.