The past couple of summers have seen both Alberta and Canada doused in wildfire smoke. The 6th annual World Air Quality report revealed that, for the first time in history ever, in 2023 Canada was the most polluted country in North America.
A recent study from Yale’s Climate Communication revealed that people who have experienced climate-induced stress are more likely to take climate action. For people who are worried but unsure about where to find quality information about climate change, one expert says the first step is just to talk about it.
“In order to solve climate change, we need enough political momentum,” says John Cook, a senior research fellow at Melbourne University and assistant professor at George Mason University. “If we are concerned but silent, that sends a signal that people don’t care and it has a spiralling, reinforcing effect.”
Quality climate news
To inform yourself about climate change, Cook recommends some familiar starting points and says, “NASA Climate is not only authoritative but also well put together.”
It is important to not overload yourself with information, Cooks also says, “Although the IPCC is the most authoritative source of information, it’s also quite dense.”
Some information about climate change can be overwhelming at first, which is one of the reasons why Cook started his website in 2007, called Skeptical Science.
“I created what I needed, which was summaries of peer-reviewed science relevant to a specific climate myth written in an accessible way,” explains Cook.
“Your goal isn’t to change your cranky uncles mind, it is to respond with facts and critical thinking for the sake of everyone else
John cook
Cook’s notes his passion for climate change communication began where a lot of conversations begin — with family.
“It really began as a personal venture…. I got into some arguments with my father-in-law about climate misinformation, he has these climate denial arguments so I started to look into them, anticipating the next family get-together.”
If you’d like to start a difficult conversation, Cooks says to first recognize that changing someone’s mind is probably not going to happen. He claims “that makes you less frustrated because your goal isn’t to change your cranky uncle’s mind, it is to respond with facts and critical thinking for the sake of everyone else.”
When talking with a dismissive family member, Cook advises that empathy and curiosity are a good approach, and then you can begin to deconstruct misinformation.
“You take a claim and break it up into what the assumptions or premises are. Ask what did I assume and what is the guiding assumption leading to that.”
Those are often unstated assumptions, to which Cook points out saying, “It’s those hidden premises where the argument goes wrong.”
The red flags of researching
When researching, Cook says red flags can happen on two levels: “There are red flags in the actual content, then there’s red flags in the people publishing the content.”
First, being able to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information is paramount. Ensuring information is reliable can include double-checking the authority, accuracy, and coverage of a source.
“There are red flags in the actual content, and then there are red flags in the people publishing the content.”
John cook
“Vetting the quality of the information before you start internalizing it is important,” says Cook. He adds that being skeptical can require reflecting on yourself.
He also notes that social media posts can resonate with us so heavily because they can confirm our preexisting beliefs.
Where and who to be skeptical of?
There is no clear marker of who, or what to completely avoid when researching climate change.
“There is no one answer, it just flows through many different strata,” says Cook.
Platforms such as podcasts and social media are common paths for misinformation to spread, but Cook says there is another significant consideration.
“One of the big factors is political leaders,” says Cook. “When these tribal leaders, our political leaders, when they are promoting these false arguments like saying climate change is a hoax, that has a strong influence on the tribe following a particular leader.