Why do we ignore climate change? PBS’s, “It’s Okay To Be Smart” examines this conundrum. Our modern minds are equipped with stone age technology, deciphering today’s events with a dated and out of focus lens. Issues that demand our brains attention are personal, abrupt, immoral and are happening in the now. Climate change lacks these attention-grabbing characteristics, which allows our brains to deny climate change. Many say that the next generation will fix it, that it is too far off to be concerned about or that it’s simply a hoax. Because climate change is an ominous threat hovering off in the distance, it is easy for many to ignore. While the science explicitly shows that climate change will have negative, even catastrophic effects, the fact that the full force of the storm hasn’t hit allows many to lack belief in its reality. A one percent chance of a terrorist attack leads to immediate and widespread action, yet nearly certain peril induced by climate change is met with doubt and denial. Our brain makes this paradox possible, we are wired to think this way. This is apparent in the comments on PBS’s video. Two months ago, a user named, Securion100 , commented, “97% of the people you asked agreed… and only 3% of them were actual climate scientists. Oh and not even 40% of the actual climate scientists agreed with you guys… :D” Additionally, 5 months ago another user named Robert Albee said, “Notice how MOST scientists call it Climate Change and NOT Global Warming because Warming is NOT happening. Climate Change means in some periods of time are HOTTER then average while some periods of time COLDER then average. Climate Change is NATURAL and has been going on since the beginning of TIME.”. These comments, amongst many others, depict the doubt and denial circulating the internet. Securion100 attempts to discredit the videos facts using no cited material, and Robert Albee attempts to undermine climate change and global warming using poor grammar and the argument that the climate changes naturally all the time. Whether these notions are perpetuated by misinformation, our brain’s wiring, or pure ignorance, there is a clear need for resolve. If facts, data and the opinions of experts can’t sway us, what will? If our brains are designed to ignore distant doom, how can we insight immediate action? If we continue to ignore climate change, what will our future look like? These are the questions that have plagued me, these are the questions that will determine the Anthropocene.
