The Stories That Don't Make The Front Pages

Dear Stubborn Optimist,

Over the past few days oil and gas industry executives have railed against the clean energy transition, claiming that it’s failing; US Republicans have lambasted the International Energy Agency (IEA) , objecting to its Net Zero Roadmap, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change said it was running out of money.

Meanwhile, Brazil has been hit by deadly flooding; a devastating heatwave is searing West Africa; temperatures recently reached? 45oC in South Sudan prompting nationwide school closures, and the European Environment Agency (EEA) has warned of “catastrophic” consequences for an unprepared Europe in the face of increasing heat over the coming years that will show up as heat stress, river flooding and flash floods.?

The EEA warning comes as voting on the bloc’s proposed nature restoration laws, that would offer some protection from future climate impacts, was cancelled after a number of member states, including Hungary and Italy, withdrew their support for the bill.

Navigating setbacks and disinformation on the energy transition and nature restoration alongside real time horrors being experienced by those on the front lines of the climate crisis is tough.?

And, millions of people from all over the world get up every day and choose to face these challenges and carry on with their work to move us onto a better path. It can be too easy to forget just how many people are making a difference, because their stories don’t make the front pages, but it’s crucial we don’t.?

Amongst them a team of behavioural scientists and climate change experts recently tested eleven common messages meant to boost climate change beliefs, policy support and concrete action with 60,00 participants from all over the world. They found that doomerism ranked among the worst for changing beliefs, and worst for motivating action, often making people less likely to take climate action.

Avoiding doomerism doesn’t mean ignoring or glossing over climate impacts or actual physics. We know the climate crisis and its impacts on people and the planet will worsen with continued rising emissions, inequality and nature loss. The doomer perspective on these hard facts says something along the lines of - ‘we’re all screwed and there’s nothing we can do about it’.?

And we’ve learnt from listeners who completed our most recent listener survey that stories showing how much work is already going on to transform how we eat, get around, heat our homes and grow our food - for example - in ways that make the world safer and more equitable is both motivating and inspiring. Thank you so much to all listeners who took part.?

Please keep tuning in on a regular basis for those stories and more. And do check for current stories of both outrage and optimism on our Instagram and LinkedIn accounts, which are posted weekly.?

OUTRAGE + OPTIMISM: ON THE CALENDAR?

This week: Our hosts are in conversation with Hannah Ritchie of Our World in Data a and author of the bold, radically hopeful book Not the End of the World. The book has received great praise from many and criticism from some. What do you think about it? Our hosts chat with Hannah about the book, its findings and the role of data in climate storytelling that bucks the status quo. Wherever you get your podcasts, Thursday, March 27th.

Next week: As a treat for our many listeners who enjoyed the Our Story of Nature miniseries, we bring you the full unedited conversation we recorded with @Krista Tippet of the The On Being Project . It is an expansive, inspiring and deeply connecting conversation, and perfect listening while many of us are taking a pause to enjoy the turning of the seasons. Wherever you get your podcasts, Thursday, April 4, 2024.

In case you missed it: Answers to your questions on the Our Story of Nature miniseries, one of our most popular in the history of the podcast. Hear the hosts' views on: teaching? citizens and governments about nature, bioliteracy, the role of religion and supermarket food. And, can we sustain, and improve our relationship with nature wherever we are, whether in the heart of the city, or deep in the forest? Listen here and find out.?

If you like this ‘dose of Outrage + Optimism’ and haven’t already, do sign up to our full bi-weekly email newsletter to make sure you’re not just informed about the climate crisis, but also inspired to be part of the changes we all need to make.

In this week's email newsletter you’ll find:

?? Christiana Figueres on keeping our sights on the globally agreed 1.5oC temperature ceiling and the role the Azerbaijan Presidency has to play

?? Our thoughts on the decision from The International Union of Geological Sciences that this is not the Anthropocene.

?? Tips from the team: two films we recommend

Thank you for reading our newsletter.

With stubborn optimism,

The Outrage + Optimism team.

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