Educating Ourselves About Climate Change

A new report from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication shows that although a majority of Americans believe "global warming" (the phrase specifically used) is real, most don't feel they are well-educated about the causes, the risks, and thus the potential solutions. They also feel global warming education should be emphasized more in schools. Perhaps not unexpected, some of those who deny the reality of climate change harbor misconceptions about the nature or certainty of the scientific evidence of climate change and of the accuracy or nature of the predictions from climate change models.

Americans get their information about global warming from a variety of sources, including the internet and family & friends. However, the internet is the source of choice for getting further information. And when it comes to solutions, most Americans state that we should stop using fossil fuels.

What all this means for the Interfaith Power and Light movement is that objective but effective education should be a primary activity of our organization. This should run the gamut from basic information about the evidence, models, and predictions to the potential solutions at a personal, social, and global level. This report points out that despite a strong general awareness of global warming, there is much to be done to provide people the right kind of information so that the awareness and understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change motivate the action necessary to respond to this crisis.

The reluctance of some of our Hawaii faith communities to speak out on climate change likely stems from this lack of clear understanding rather than a skepticism about the science or predictions. Reaching everyone directly is not likely to happen. We need to provide resources and opportunities for those who have the understanding and motivation to educate others in their local communities rather than serving as a single institutional source for information. The message should be clear, consistent, and ubiquitous in our communications as diverse faith communities so that there is no doubt we have a moral obligation to act and we have the confidence to take action that will be effective.