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Asked by anon-253604 on 13 May 2020.
Question: Do you believe that climate change activists such as myself, should try to alter the views of Donald Trump on Climate Change? I think this could be an important step in our battle against climate change, by altering the minds of authoritative and powerful country leaders they could then enforce new rules and polices to drop their countries contribution to climate change. Do you agree?
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Matt Price answered on 13 May 2020: last edited 13 May 2020 12:03 pm
It is of the utmost importance to try and convince our leaders of such an existential threat, and to try and get them to do something about it. Only systemic change is capable of large enough scales of change to have an appreciable effect on the climate. Donald trump in particular is known for being mercurial at best, so I would say it is far from futile to try and catch his attention. However I do think the vast powers that exist behind him have strong vested interests to keep climate change out of public discourse. But that’s just my 2 cents.
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Kirsty Pringle answered on 13 May 2020:
Yes! I think that activists play a really vital role.
Peaceful and constructive activism can do a few different things:
1) It can communicate to the policy makers how much people care about the issues.
2) It can also education politicians; politicians often have to cover a very wide range of topics, they can’t be experts in all of them, so by using your time to try and educate on the key points you are educating them about the topic.
3) Activism can also make a topic more relatable, for example, I think some people struggle to understand the scale of climate change, or think it can’t be stopped, so why bother trying, but by relating the topic to personal stories or situations it can make it easier to understand the importance of the problem.
It is a slow and frustrating process though, especially with climate change when the science has been understood for a long time, so educating about climate change is often about debunking myths.
It’s great to hear that you are an activist for climate change, we need young voices, and it will affect your future more than that of the older generations.
I guess you have read some of Greta Thunberg’s speaches? I think they are very good as she has reduced a complex topic down into a very simple and effective message. She has also tried to educate other people her age as well as the politicians, I think with the hope that the message will filter up from the young people to the policy makers. If the policy makers don’t listen to one voice, they will have to listen to many many voices all speaking together.
Having said that, I am not sure what to write about Trump! It’s always worth trying to talk to people, but I am not sure he will listen…
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Gareth Mason answered on 13 May 2020:
It is a daunting, and overwhelming, battle that we are going through in terms of Climate Change. Donald Trump is the best worst case scenario in terms of a leader, for the environment at least, but the more people that question him, and people like him, the more he will have to listen.
I think the old slogan of ‘Think Global, Act Local’ is very much still relevant. If we can convince our peers and local politicians to change the way they behave and treat the planet, then it all adds up to something big. If all local councils left grass verges growing longer or replaced them with wildflower meadows, or people left wild patches in their gardens, for example, then our pollinator species like bees and butterflies wouldn’t be under as much threat.
Rather than getting overwhelmed about the things we don’t think we can do, it’s better to focus on what we can and take it from there.
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Rehemat Bhatia answered on 13 May 2020:
Definitely! It’s awesome to see so many young activists.
The best thing you can do is communicate with everyone you know, and further afield, about the importance of climate change. Make it relatable, make it concise and easy to follow, and provide examples of how easy it is to make a change. Systemic change as Matt says is what is needed, and I wholeheartedly agree.
And reach out to climate scientists for help too – for infographics, data, advice on communication -anything that you might need. Remember, we’re here to support you too!
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Jacque Cilliers answered on 14 May 2020:
A good question.
You are clearly passionate about the environment and if this is something you think you would like to do, then go ahead. You don’t need validation from others. 🙂 -
Emily Goddard answered on 14 May 2020: last edited 14 May 2020 10:49 am
I think it’s great that you’re active and keen to raise awareness, and I agree that making it an important issue for politicians will help. I don’t know whether Donald Trump might be a bit of a hard sell though!
There are plenty of groups you can get involved with (for example, the UK Student Climate Network for under 18s https://ukscn.org/) and don’t forget you can always write to your local MP (https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons). Who knows, they might end up as Prime Minister one day! 🌳♻️ 🌍
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Oli Wilson answered on 18 May 2020: last edited 18 May 2020 10:45 am
There are some great answers to this question already, so I don’t want to repeat what the others have said – yes, trying to change minds (and powerful people’s ones at that) is important, and so is starting local; activism can change the world; and Donald Trump would be an incredibly difficult person to win over..!
But whether you’re trying to convince a politician or a parent about climate change, it turns out that confronting someone with facts isn’t the best way to change their mind – that actually makes people hold on tighter to the beliefs they already have. So simply explaining the science doesn’t really work. People *do* tend to be most swayed, though, when someone who shares their values explains how climate change will affect the things they care about, and offers them practical ways to respond. There’s a really good video on this topic from Prof Katherine Hayhoe, do check it out (as well as the others in her awesome Global Weirding series): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkMIjbDtdo0
The most successful conversation I’ve ever had with someone on this topic had a lot of these features. We already knew and respected each other, so Simon was willing to tell me his thoughts and listen to my responses. I could show him that climate change affected issues that we thought were important – for Simon and me it was the damage it’s causing in the world’s poorest communities (though Trump might respond better to golf or Florida’s coastline…). But from that point of relationship with each other and shared values we were able to discuss the science and possible responses. At the end, Simon said it had been the most helpful conversation he’d ever had on the subject – and that wasn’t because I did an amazing job, but because we started from that point of connection.
Whoever you end up talking to about this, good luck! And thank you 🙂
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