I was surprised how hard it was to answer the question “what is climate change?”. Mulling over the implications of such a global problem, our verbal paralysis likely stems from the sheer scale of climate change, what it encompasses, and what it has changed. To understand and define climate change broadly we must comprehend complex systems and the interconnections of all life forms with their environment, knowing in the back of our minds that even a scientific understanding does not shield us from doubts and criticisms of those who deny climate change. Such doubts bring back the concept of the “believable.” Believing or not believing in science sounds obscure. As fun as flying sounds, we do not have the choice of believing or not believing in gravity – we are subjected to the laws of nature. Somehow climate change has not made it to that same realm of certainty among the human population.
In Climate Change is Everything Change by Margaret Atwood, the “believable” picture was picture 3, which showed few deviations from current politics and thought; it was believable because we know people tend to resist change.
Perhaps making climate change more believable and spurring change requires a closer look. We find a connection between most things and climate (except dancing). It is hard to comprehend such a vast problem, but looking closer, we find seemingly small examples that bring striking clarity to the implications of climate change: researchers found that warmer temperatures change the social structures of ant colonies, and soil “can play a role in cleaning and storing water, supporting biodiversity and regulating our climate.” Thus, in the ground we walk on each day lies the evidence for climate change and its affects. Like how small actions add up to real change, small examples add up to a clearer picture of climate change. A clearer picture (and definition) of climate change is crucial, because only from a point of understanding can we act.
