Climate change as a global problem has been at the forefront since the late 1900s. The number of people globally working on the issue and the multiple projects addressing the issue either through mitigation, awareness, or solution generation and policy implementation is humungous. So are there numerous people working on mega issues such as the heat island effect, plastic pollution, etc. etc., and all those ‘big, fancy’ words. Why then is it not getting solved? What is it that we are missing out as a society, as a nation, and as a world?
Whether climate change is real or not is another topic. (Yes, it is.) But the topic of today’s discussion is why are people claiming it’s not. What goes in their brains? And even with so many people believing it’s true, why is it still not solved? That, readers, is the topic of today’s discussion. Let us deconstruct this puzzle.
Puzzle: Does it exist or not?
As global issues, none of the aforementioned aren’t new on the table. They’ve been on the highlight for more than three decades now. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the United Nations in 1988. In fact, studies aimed at proving the possibility of anthropogenic (caused by humans) climate change as real dates back to the late 1800s. Study after study has confirmed the results, which show that the planet hasn’t been this hot in at least 1,000 years, and probably longer. So, it’s received attention for more than a century now.
Despite all of this data, there are people who claim it’s not real. 15% of Americans do not believe in climate change. 66% of Indians feel that global warming is important to them personally but only 54% believe that it is caused by human beings. Yet, only 41% of Indians state they know something substantial about climate change. Why, why, why?
Let’s leave out the people who believe human-induced climate change isn’t real. Theirs is just a belief that needs to be debunked. But what about the multitude of others who are aware and not acting on it?
Contrary to the popular belief that there is not massive public support for climate change, studies show a majority of the population surveyed do care about this disaster. Not only the “rich, educated” people of developed societies but more importantly, the people from communities whose lives are directly affected because of extreme weather changes. In fact, some of these people said they are even willing to contribute 1% of their income to fight it. If so many people are aware, and so many people care, shouldn’t this be the peak of our problems list?
But how come so many of us who are aware either don’t know what to do about it or choose not to bother about the problem? As, Art Markman, a professor of Psychology delineates in this article:
We prefer short-term benefits to long-term ones. That we can save a few bucks now is more presently beneficial and tangible than our daughter breathing clean air ten years later. That’s why we wouldn’t be willing to spend a tad bit more for a more eco-friendly option.
The effects of climate change accumulate and aggravate over the years. Due to this non-linearity and non-immediacy of effects, it is not very easy for us to understand. If you burn your skin, you can see the burnt hand. But that’s not the case with smoking a cigarette, right? Or burning the planet slowly.
Climate change and its impact are distant and not easily visible to most of us. Weather changes and rise in sea levels are gradual and the impacts of it are felt often by underprivileged communities. (Talk to the people living in the slums of India or Bangladesh). Actually, are you sure you don’t feel the heat on the high these days? So, now, climate change has become tangible.
The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Nature Connect
Expanding on the third point of Professor Markman, research has shown that connection to nature encourages pro-environmental, sustainable behavior in people. It’s as simple as this. Borrowing from an analogy from one of our student-partners, it is easier for our families and friends to support us if we are in close physical proximity and maintain a good relationship with them. As is the case with nature also. When we are connected to the nature around us, in our immediate surroundings, the possibility of us being concerned about it increases. This is why, at Thicket Tales, we want to connect people to their own backyard.
But why is there a lack of connection to nature? After all, is not environmental studies a part of the syllabus in India? From State Board to IGCSE? Are there standard chapters every year on water, air, and sound pollution, and the next set of chapters on waste management of different kinds? Yes, there are.
Here is a screenshot of the scores assigned to the governance and management of biodiversity in the city by a report on the City Biodiversity Index in Bangalore:
What is not a part of the curriculum though is the outings to your local park. The report suggests that it is important to make learning more holistic for students and recommends regular field visits as a part of the curriculum. This study suggests policymakers make a provision for weekly contact with nature to residents. Additionally, exposure to nature positively impacts the overall well-being of individuals.
Let alone children, as already mentioned, it is difficult even for adults to comprehend abstract concepts. When you don’t know why you’re studying something and how that subject matter impacts you, why will you connect to it? And if you don’t connect to it, why will you bother to change? It is that connection that we aim to foster with Thicket Tales. Connect individuals to nature by connecting the dots. Connect them to learning by making it relevant and visible.
The puzzle itself: Education
Solutions to tackle such mega issues have to happen at multiple levels. Creating Awareness, research studies, understanding scientific data, advocacy, civic participation, and policy-level changes. These are all happening, yes. But everyone needs to be involved on some level. Right? If not at the policy-implementation level, at least at the individual level? And what is the basis of all this? Education.
Now, of course, connection to nature is key to bettering our surroundings and personal lives. But what is more essential to bring about that nature connection is good education. Because good education involves nature and goes beyond it. It is the right kind of education that builds the skill sets required to solve such issues.
As Shavkidinova et. al wrote in the paper ‘Education is an important factor in human and country development’: “An educated person can not only better interpret their environment, but also recognize their rights, as a result of the knowledge they gained in school. People with a higher level of education have a better understanding of their surroundings and are better able to improve their own and others' lives.”
We don’t need research to back it up but is it not obviously true that a better individual results in a better society? A good education aids the cognitive, and psycho-social development of an individual, both in children and adults..
The Basis of the Puzzle: Learning
But there is something more primarily rooted and seated deeper within. The basis of education itself — Learning. As psychologist G.A Kimble defined “Learning is a relatively permanent change in a behavioral potentiality that occurs as a result of reinforced practice.” What is happening though is that there is an intake of information that is not transforming into behavioural changes. And we have seen major reasons as to why that holds true before.
Well, this is the problem we are working on at Thicket Tales. We want our learners to know why they learning and experience the joy of learning. We want them to want to learn by connecting to learning. For us, nature is central to everything. It is central to our learning as well. In our sessions, one can experience the joy of learning through nature.
Unlike the case here, children come to our sessions with joy, and adults leave our sessions with a smile
Now, to answer the questions this article began with, a big problem such as climate change may not be solvable at all. But at least, we can get it under control. What can be done is that it can be prevented and its effects mitigated. There is a need for individual and societal level change, more rigorous governance policy implementations, global and collective consensus, and strategy deployment. More people need to be involved in the process, collectively. But before all that, what is the first step? How do we solve such mega problems? That strong is education.
At Thicket Tales, we are leveraging that tool to not only talk about the Climate crisis but also about conservation, nature education, most importantly why learning is one of the greatest tools humans can possess.
Shouldn’t we all at least be given a choice to know whether or not we want to act and actively contribute to the solution?
To being a better learner, and a better citizen, and a better living organism!
References:
Here’s the corrected alphabetically arranged citation list in APA 8th edition format:
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