Useful Delusions and Climate Change

• The midterm exam will consist of writing a short essay (1-2 paragraphs) that defines a term and explains its importance to understanding climate change
• Three terms will be randomly selected on the day of the exam
• The exam focuses on summarizing and explaining, not defending an opinion
• The author and date of class meeting are included with each term

Useful Delusions (and Susceptibility to Misinformation)

• False beliefs can serve a purpose in people's lives
• Brains create shortcuts to understand the world, sometimes leading to helpful illusions
• Parents believing their kids are smarter or more talented can be supportive and encouraging
• This thinking makes people more likely to believe misinformation, especially if it aligns with existing beliefs
• Useful delusions and misinformation can be a problem for climate change
• People believe what fits their existing views, even if it's false
• This slows down action, makes it harder to pass policies, and keeps people from recognizing the urgency

Exceeding 2°C Temperature Increase by 2100

• Earth's average temperature could rise more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100
• Scientists consider this a critical threshold that could lead to severe and irreversible damage
• Damages include extreme weather, rising sea levels, and ecosystem collapse
• The EN-ROADS Climate Change Simulator helps people explore how policies affect global temperatures
• Without strong action, surpassing the 2°C limit is likely
• Increases greater than 2C could mean more intense storms, wildfires, droughts, and food shortages
• This would make adapting difficult for humans and wildlife
• Avoiding this level of warming requires reducing carbon emissions, switching to clean energy, and making smart policy choices

Two Row Wampum

• A treaty between the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) and the Dutch
• Made in 1613, as represented by a wampum belt with two parallel purple rows on a white background
• Rows symbolize two different nations traveling side by side on the river of life: one in a canoe (Haudenosaunee) and the other in a ship (Dutch)
• Based on friendship, peace, and lasting forever
• Both nations would respect each other's ways, avoiding interference
• Climate change requires collaboration between different nations, cultures, and perspectives
• Indigenous knowledge, which emphasizes balance with nature, can work alongside Western science

Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change

• Indigenous knowledge consists of wisdom and practices passed down through generations within Indigenous communities to understand and interact with their environment
• Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim explained how her grandmother predicts weather patterns by observing nature
• Indigenous people's deep connection to the land allows them to adapt to climate changes, sometimes better than modern science alone
• Indigenous communities sustainably live while protecting 80% of the world's biodiversity
• Indigenous communities have ways of predicting and responding to environmental changes scientists don't understand
• Modern science plus Indigenous knowledge can create better strategies

Hovercraft

• In Kyle Powys Whyte's allegory from Way Beyond the Lifeboat, large corporations and industries are represented by the hovercraft
• Hovercraft operate above communities, causing harm while staying disconnected from the consequences
• Hovercrafts symbolize industries that exploit resources, pollute, and contribute to climate change
• Corporations are major contributors to environmental damage, yet avoid accountability
• Their actions worsen climate change for vulnerable communities, especially Indigenous peoples

Environmental Subjectivities

• Environmental subjectivities describes how people experience and interact with the environment based on their cultural and social backgrounds
• It describes how individuals and communities understand climate change through lived experiences shaped by history, race, and power
• Indigenous groups see climate change as tied to colonialism, whereas urban homesteaders focus on personal lifestyle changes
• People don't all see the issue the same way
• Some groups focus on political action, while others emphasize individual solutions
• Recognizing differences helps create more effective climate policies that address root causes

Anthropogenic Drivers of Climate Change

• Human activities that directly contribute to global warming and environmental shifts
• Includes burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and large-scale agriculture, increasing greenhouse gas emissions
• These activities are shaped by social, economic, and political systems
• Climate change requires changing how societies operate
• Climate change isn't just a natural process
• Recognizing the role of industries, policies, and lifestyles drivers can create effective solutions

Ecologically Unequal Exchange

• Richer, more developed countries enjoy the benefits from global trade at the expense of poorer, less developed nations
• Wealthier nations extract natural resources, energy, and labor from less-developed regions and outsource environmental damage
• The environmental burdens fall on those with the least power to resist
• Global inequalities shape environmental problems

Social Science Criticisms of CHANS/ Sustainability Science Framework

• Criticisms focus on how these approaches prioritize natural science perspectives and sideline social sciences
• CHANS views the environment and human society as interconnected systems
• Critics state this approach often treats human behavior as an environmental factor rather than a complex social and political force
• Climate change is framed as a technical issue rather than considering societal issues like power, inequality, and policy failures
• Climate change isn't just an environmental problem; it's also a social one
• Only focusing on scientific and technical solutions without addressing social structures, economic systems, and political power misses the bigger picture
• If governments and corporations prioritize profit, change is difficult

Age of Disasters

• The period we are living in where climate change is causing more frequent and intense disasters such as floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, and wildfires
• These extreme weather events are now happening all the time, affecting millions of people worldwide
• Rising sea levels, stronger storms, and longer droughts are putting entire communities at risk
• Climate change is a serious threat to human health and well-being
• Hospitals are being forced to shut down during floods, heatwaves are leading to more deaths, and air pollution from wildfires is causing respiratory diseases

Unequal Health Impacts of Climate Change

• Climate change affects different communities in unfair ways, with poorer and marginalized groups facing the worst consequences
• People in lower-income countries, rural areas, and small island nations often experience harsher impacts and more exposure to pollution-related illnesses
• Wealthier countries have better resources to protect their citizens from its harmful effects
• Fair solutions are needed
• Wealthier nations and big polluters must help those most affected
• Many vulnerable communities struggle with pollution, extreme weather, and limited healthcare access

Climate Change, Water Cycle, and Child Health

• Climate change affects the water cycle in ways that have serious consequences for child health
• Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changing precipitation patterns make it harder for children to access safe drinking water
• Floods contaminate water, increasing the risk of deadly waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhea
• These conditions also contribute to malnutrition
• UNICEF warns that by 2040, nearly 600 million children will be living in areas of extremely high-water stress
• Climate change will continue to threaten children's survival, education, and future opportunities without intervention
• Governments, communities, and businesses need to invest in climate-resilient water and sanitation systems

Explore how useful delusions affect the acceptance of misinformation, particularly regarding climate change. Understand how cognitive shortcuts and pre-existing beliefs can hinder climate action. Learn about the connection between false beliefs and the challenges in addressing climate change effectively.