Philosophy - Newspaper Articles
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Item What is societal collapse? Lessons from the past can help us understand our future, but only to a point(The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited, 2024-09-04) Steel, Daniel; Giang, Amanda; Mintz-Woo, KianAs the climate crisis accelerates, it’s hard not to wonder if today’s societies can adapt. Growing worries over climate change have sparked interest in the collapse of ancient civilizations and the rise of the (often apocalypse-themed) “cli-fi” genre in popular culture. But before turning to the past for answers, it is important to think about what collapse is and why it matters.Item Effective climate action requires us to abandon viewing our efforts as a ‘sacrifice'(The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited, 2023-11-14) Steel, Daniel; DesRoches, C. Tyler; Mintz-Woo, KianIf you’re like most people, you’ve been taught that climate action is a sacrifice. Cutting emissions from fossil fuels, you’ve probably been told, is the economy-squeezing price we must pay for a livable planet. But our research explains why we should look at this issue through a different frame. Frames help us think about complex issues. They suggest starting assumptions, problems to be solved and point towards possible solutions. Sacrifice frames begin with the assumption that climate action is a burdensome cost. Given that assumption, it naturally follows that climate action is all about convincing people to make sacrifices. But scholars have criticized sacrifice frames for being bad at motivating action. Tell a person to sacrifice, and they’re likely to give you a list of reasons why they shouldn’t have to do it. We suggest a different approach. Instead of explaining why you should sacrifice for the climate, we explain why climate action isn’t a sacrifice. We also suggest an alternative, more hopeful frame that fits with current science.Item How to talk to your children about climate change(Irish Examiner, 2021-11-01) Mintz-Woo, Kian; Capisani, SimonaMany children are aware that the climate is changing, and some of them understand that human actions are behind these changes. But how can we explain something so large - something many of us struggle to process ourselves?