[Oz-envirolink] 'eco-fatigue'

[hugh spencer]

   This piece from the Canberra Times 15 November 2007  makes a very
important point.    (listening David??).

Modern  fables and eco fatigue

Leo  Hickman

Aesop  would have had little trouble seeking inspiration if he were writing
his fables  today. "The Tortoise and the Hare" might have become The
Hamilton and the  Raikkonen. The "Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs" might
have been known to us as  The Fisherman and the Cod. And parents might now
be reading The Sub-Prime  Mortgage and the Investor instead of "The Wolf in
Sheep's  Clothing".

 But  one moral tale that certainly isn't lacking any inspiration today is
"The Boy Who  Cried Wolf". We live in an age where we seem to revel in the
scare story. Some  would argue that climate change is just such a story.
Day after day we read  scientific reports pointing to an ever worsening
outlook for our species. But  the law of diminishing returns says that no
matter how pressing or compelling  the message, the more we hear it, the
less impact it has on us over  time.

Rather  predictably, talk of "eco fatigue" is beginning to surface. An ICM
survey of  2000 British adults found recently that 23 per cent of those
surveyed admitted  they were "bored with eco news". You could say 77 per
cent are still engaged,  but it would be a mistake to ignore the fact that
some have gone from "aware" to  "despair" in a very short period of time.

 What  has caused this? Earlier this year, Professor Mike Hulme, then
director of the  Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, warned
scientists and the media  against the use of hyperbolic language when
speaking about climate change  scenarios. In particular, he warned against
using the words "disaster",  "apocalypse" and "catastrophe". His own
research showed that such terms  generated apathy among the intended
audience. "Sod it," people would conclude,  "we all might as well live for
the now, then. What time does Top Gear  start?"

 Another  factor I sense playing its part in generating "eco fatigue" is
that some people  clearly see it as a passing fashion. Our "build 'em up,
knock 'em down" culture  demands that we constantly check the shelf life of
any trend, and now the  environment has gone "mainstream" many
instinctively want to retain their cool  by getting off this carousel.
Tellingly, the ICM survey found that 18 per cent  of those surveyed
admitted to exaggerating their commitment to environmentally  friendly
lifestyle choices because it is "fashionable".

 Or  is "eco fatigue" just a classic symptom of denial? The alarm clock is
buzzing  away, but we'd rather hit the snooze button than face the day
ahead. All the  classic signs are evident: transference ("our emissions are
tiny compared to  China's"); minimisation ("personally, I can't wait till
it's 2C warmer");  falsifiability ("you can't prove 100 per cent that we're
to blame"); false  memory ("summers were always much hotter when I was a
kid"); diversion ("there  are far more pressing things to worry about in
this world than climate change");  and rationalisation ("I work bloody
hard, so I damn well deserve my long-haul  holidays").

 Whatever  is driving "eco fatigue", however, it clearly needs to be
tackled. The messaging  about climate change needs attention and overly
emotive headlines are not  working but maintaining a sense of urgency is
crucial. Maybe Aesop can provide a  steer?

 In  "The North Wind and the Sun", the eponymous characters argue over who
is the  strongest. In an attempt to make a traveller take off his coat
first, the North  Wind blasts the man with a strong gust. It fails. In
contrast, the Sun takes the  honours by casting warm rays on the traveller,
who immediately takes off the  coat. The North Wind is perplexed. "It was
easy," says the Sun. "I lit the day.  Through gentleness I got my way."




Leo  Hickman is author of The Final Call: In Search of the True Cost of Our
Holidays



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