Useful Delusions & Climate Change

• The midterm exam will consist of writing short essays (1-2 paragraphs) that define a randomly selected term and explain its significance in understanding climate change
• The exam focuses on summarizing and explaining, not defending an opinion

Useful Delusions

• Useful delusions are false beliefs that serve a purpose, offering helpful illusions
• Brains create shortcuts to understand the world, which sometimes leads to helpful illusions
• Parents believing their kids are smarter/more talented than they are can be supportive
• This type of thinking can increase the chance of believing misinformation, esp. when it aligns with existing beliefs
• With a lot of information available, people believe what fits their existing views on climate change, even if false
• This delays action, makes policy changes harder, and stops people from recognizing the urgency of the issue
• Understanding why misinformation is believed allows for better conversations and smarter choices about the environment

Exceeding 2°C Temperature Increase by 2100

• Exceeding a 2°C temperature increase by 2100 means temperatures will rise more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels
• Scientists see this as a critical threshold, with the crossing of it leading to irreversible damage, such as severe weather, rising sea levels, and ecosystem collapse
• The EN-ROADS Climate Change Simulator can help people explore different policies and actions to see how they affect global temperatures
• Without strong action, the limit is on track to be surpassed
• Temperature increases can have big consequences; more than 2°C of warming may cause more intense storms, wildfires, droughts, and food shortages
• This makes it harder for humans and wildlife to adapt Avoiding this warming level requires cutting carbon emissions, switching to clean energy, and making smart policy choices

Two Row Wampum

• The Two Row Wampum (Gä•sweñta') is a treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch, from 1613
• It is represented by a wampum belt with two parallel purple rows on a white background
• The rows symbolize two different nations such as a canoe that is representing the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch ship traveling side by side on the river of life
• Key principles are friendship, peace, and the promise that it would last forever
• A value of mutual respect and cooperation is crucial, just like the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch agreed to travel side by side without controlling each other
• Addressing climate change requires collaboration between different nations, cultures, and perspectives
• Indigenous knowledge, which emphasizes living in balance with nature, can work alongside Western science to create solutions
• Respecting different ways of knowing and working together is essential for a sustainable future

Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change

• Indigenous knowledge are the wisdom and practices passed down through generations helping them understand and interact with their environment
• Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim explains how observing nature, like movement of birds/insects helped her grandmother predict weather patterns
• A deep connection to the land allows Indigenous people to adapt to climate changes where science alone cannot
• Indigenous communities have been living sustainably for thousands of years
• They protect 80% of our world's biodiversity
• There are ways of predicting / responding to environmental changes that scientists are only beginning to grasp
• By combining Indigenous knowledge with modern science, better strategies can be created to fight climate change, restore ecosystems, and help vulnerable communities adapt to challenges

Hovercraft

• The allegory in Whyte talks about the hovercraft that represents large corporations and industries operating above all other communities, causing harm while staying disconnected from the consequences
• These industries and corporations avoid accountability
• Unlike canoes (Indigenous communities) and aircraft carriers (nation-states), hovercrafts don't even touch the water
• Hovercrafts float above, and these large companies exploit resources, pollute the environment, and contribute to climate change without feeling the direct effects themselves
• It highlights how big corporations are major contributors but avoid accountability
• Actions worsen climate change for vulnerable communities, esp. Indigenous people and dealing with environmental destruction and colonialism
• Tackling climate change is more than just reducing emissions, as it means addressing the power imbalances that let industries profit while others suffer

Environmental Subjectivities

• Environmental subjectivities deal with how people experience and interact with the environment based on cultural and social backgrounds
• It focuses on how individuals and communities understand climate change, but through lived experiences shaped by factors like history, race, and power
• Indigenous groups like the Karuk Tribe see climate change as part of a long history of environmental disruption tied to colonialism
• Urban homesteaders who are middle class individuals focus on personal lifestyle changes instead of systemic causes
• Recognizing these differences can help create more effective climate policies that respect diverse perspectives and address the root causes of environmental problems
• Some groups focus on political action / collective responsibility, while others emphasize individual solutions

Anthropogenic Drivers of Climate Change

• Refer to human activities that directly contribute to global warming and environmental shifts
• Includes burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and large-scale agriculture, all of which increase greenhouse gas emissions
• Shaped by social, economic, and political systems, meaning that addressing climate change isn't just engineering, but it includes changing how societies operate
• It's not just a natural process, but a result of something humans are actively causing
• Recognizing the role of industries, policies, and lifestyles in driving emissions, more effective solutions can be made such as reducing the need to depend on fossil fuels, promoting sustainable agriculture, and implementing stronger environmental regulations.

Ecologically Unequal Exchange

• Refers to how richer, more developed countries benefit from global trade at the expense of poorer, less developed nations
• Wealthier nations extract natural resources, energy, and labor from less-developed regions while outsourcing environmental damage, like pollution and deforestation
• The burden is placed on those with the least power to resist
• This issue highlights how global inequalities shape environmental problems
• Countries that consume the most resources / waste often avoid the worst climate impacts, while the countries that contribute the least face the harshest consequences
• Addressing climate change effectively means recognizing / changing this unfair trade and economic system

Social Science Criticisms of CHANS/Sustainability Science Framework

• Focuses on how these approaches still prioritize natural science perspectives while sidelining social sciences
• Critics argue that this approach often treats human behavior as just another environmental factor instead of a complex social and political force
• CHANS frames climate change as a technical issue through scientific management rather than societal issues like power, inequality, and policy failures
• It's a social one, not just an environmental problem
• Only focusing on scientific and technical solutions without societal structures, economic systems, and political power means we miss the bigger picture
• Simply promoting sustainable technology won't fix climate change if governments / corporations prioritize profit over environmental responsibility
• A stronger integration of sociology can help highlight the role of human institutions, inequalities, and social behaviors in shaping climate change outcomes

Age of Disasters

• Refers to the period of living where climate change is causing more frequent / intense disasters
• Includes floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, and wildfires, extreme weather events are no longer rare and happen all the time, and affect millions of people
• Rising sea levels, stronger storms, and longer droughts are putting entire communities at risk in vulnerable regions
• Highlights how it is both a human threat and environment concern
• Hospitals shut down during floods, heatwaves may cause further deaths and air pollution from wildfires can cause respiratory diseases
• If action isn't taken, disasters will get worse; governments, businesses, and individuals must reduce emissions, invest in clean energy, and make communities resilient during growing threats

Unequal Health Impacts of Climate Change

• Climate change affects different communities unfairly where poorer / marginalized groups face the worst consequences
• Countries in lower-income, nations, rural area, small island nations have extreme heat, food shortages, and exposure to illnesses
• Wealthier countries contribute more / have better resources to protect citizens
• It shows the need for fair solutions through wealthier nations and big polluters that can help those most affected to ensure the problems don't get worse
• Those vulnerable struggle with pollution, weather extremes, and limited access to healthcare to adapt
• To protect each communities, addressing climate isn't about cutting emissions only but ensuring everyone has the chance to stay healthy

Climate Change, Water Cycle and Child Health

• Climate change affects the water cycle with serious concerns for child health
• Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changes in precipitation patterns makes it harder for children to access safe drinking water
• Droughts dry up water sources, while floods contaminate them, increasing the risk of deadly waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhea
• Conditions also contribute to malnutrition
• Children are especially vulnerable to water related health issues where UNICEF warns that by 2040, nearly 600 million children will be living in areas of extremely high-water stress
• Without intervention, climate change will continue to threaten children's survival, education, and future opportunities which can be prevented by governments, communities, and businesses to invest in resistant water / sanitation systems and ensuring all children can access clean / safe water

Explore useful delusions as false beliefs serving a purpose in understanding climate change. Learn how these illusions, while sometimes helpful, can increase the acceptance of misinformation, delay action, and hinder policy changes related to climate change.