We need to talk about climate change

For Christian climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, the most important thing we can do to address climate change is to talk about it. In Saving Us, Hayhoe lays out some strategies for doing just that—while also reminding us why it matters.

When I initially picked up this book, I was skeptical that talking about climate change could have a real impact. After so many climate summits that have failed to bring about the needed results, talk seems especially cheap. But this is precisely the attitude that Hayhoe sets out to resist. Just as the problem of climate change has many layers, from the decisions of large fossil fuel companies to our personal consumer habits, the solution is also multifaceted, with a need to take root within corporate boardrooms and city council meetings as well as our own homes. Talking is where change begins, Hayhoe insists. This is especially important because, according to recent polls she cites, a quarter of US Americans still do not see climate change as a serious concern.

No one can deny the importance of facts. “We all know that if someone says, ‘gravity isn’t real’ and steps off a cliff, they’re going down whether they ‘believe’ in it or not,” Hayhoe states. But unfortunately, we are less responsive to facts that touch upon our identity, ideolo­gy, and morality—especially if they call upon us to change our behavior and way of life in ways we’d rather not. In discussing the large number of highly educated, scientifically literate people who deny that climate change is caused by humans, Hayhoe introduces the idea of motivated reasoning: