This #NewYear we must get serious about climate change. A big obstacle: our brains.

Current risks are vastly different from our ancestors, but our brains are wired the same. Knowing the science behind decision-making helps us better talk about climate threats & spark action. 1/

I’ve dedicated my career to understanding what factors influence our perceptions of risk & shape behavioral outcomes, especially around climate action.

We clearly do not judge risks accurately. Let’s try this example. What is more likely to kill you:
Ppl often say shark attacks even though plane parts are 30x more likely to kill us. Attacks are more sensational/easier to recall.

Brains react in certain ways to risks around us, rapidly scanning environmental cues (e.g. snake’s stance) with subliminal and automated processing.
How does brain wiring relate to climate action? We're influenced by triggers such as if we can see risk or if we trust who communicates it to us.

Bluntly, we overestimate unserious risks like vaccinating children and underestimate seemingly far away risks like rising sea levels.
Sociology shows how even political identities influence risk perception. A human evolutionary trait allows us to avoid cognitive dissonance from info 1) that isn’t pleasant or 2) contradicts beliefs integral to our identity/tribe. We’re wired to make snap judgements for comfort.
The visceral need to belong to a tribe stems from early ancestors joining a group for survival. Just look at an increasingly polarized America where even issues historically free from politicization, like infectious disease, are no longer immune.
Correcting existing erroneous beliefs comes from first admitting to and accepting that we are all subliminally influenced by cognitive triggers outside of our control.

But we can regain control! This is where climate activists should take note.
First ask, what fuels our risk perceptions? Is it political identity, ease of recall, or trust in the communicator. Challenge perceptions that feed into our fears. Question immediate assessments of a risk. Check for overreaction by analyzing the base rate statistics of that risk
Actual risk compared to public outrage are poorly aligned across a host of risks from those we overestimate like plane crashes to those we underestimate like radon gas. Let’s admit to and recognize our collective cognitive limitations and always question our judgments.
Step 1 of what individuals can do to address the looming climate crisis: make decisions based in science NOT ideology. #ScienceMatters

Be radical in your commitment to the facts and the reality of risks we face, and then you can challenge your friends/family, maybe even beyond.
There is no alternative. Inaction is costing us precious time in veering off the path towards a global temperature point we will not be able to withstand. We are currently on target to reach it by 2050.

The time for action is now. Let #2021 be the year we turn things around.
We have the human ingenuity to overcome the climate challenges we face and to take control of our perceptions. Let’s start by confronting our brains, tease out our innate biases, & commit to better aligning to the data…to the science.

A good #NewYearsResolution for us all.

More from Climate change

The UK government's climate advisory body is launching its next carbon budget: basically, outlining what the UK can emit between 2033 and 2037. It's a big deal - launch video starting right now.
Watch along:


Will tweet along snippets. Pretty relevant to...............everything, really. #UKCarbonBudget

"Instead of being just a budget, it's a pathway we have to tread to reach net zero in 2050" @lorddeben

Just like quite a few other modelling exercises, CCC use a spectrum between behaviour change and between technological change. #UKCarbonBudget.

Both = best (just like @AEMO_Media's Step Change scenario in their ISP)


'Balanced' is what they use for their recs. "We're doing 60% of the emissions reductions in the first 15 years, and then 40% in the next".

The slinky kitty curve....good to see. No evidence of delaying action to Dec 29 2049, here. #UKCarbonBudget


"By front loading, we're minimising the UK's contribution to cumulative emissions" - really important point. A slow path to net zero - more climate harm than a fast one. #UKCarbonBudget
I previously 👇 documented 20 mechanisms through which climate change is 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 disrupting food production.

Below I am adding to the list including several newly documented mechanisms. 

 *thread*


Several primary impacts relate to altered soil & plant chemistry & biology:

1. Disruption of the phosphorous cycle - the second most vital element for plants after nitrogen


2. Decreased content of key nutrients in major

3. Reduced chill hours required for many plants to bloom normally in the

Other additional primary impacts include:

4. Fossil fuel pollution impacts on crops - this is not a result of climate change per se, but is included since it is due to the same root cause (fossil fuel use):
FYI - The Storm approaches - take a look...

At the moment, POTUS is sitting on a stack of Trump cards that he's just waiting to unleash...a royal flush!

@John_F_Kennnedy @Pamelal33566076 @GeorgePapa19 @whitebunny @atvguy @stormis_us


He has court cases that will go to the Supreme Court and thanks to the Texas case, he's now aware how to file them properly... under article 3 not 2...

so the SCOTUS will be forced to listen.....He now has the DNI report. Barr stepped down and can now be a witness.....he did his job. Durham is special counsel and can prosecute, in any state....

He’s letting civil, criminal, and federal courts fail to handle the situation properly.....so he can use military tribunals. He has ALL the data from the NSA, the Kraken supercomputer, the Alice supercomputer and likely many more computers, unknown to us....

He has the dueling electors from 7 state legislatures. He has VP Pence, as the final arbiter of which ballots to accept.. the NDAA, the national emergency, the 14th amendment, the 2018 executive order, the 2017 very first EO, the Patriot Act, the FISA warrants,

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