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1-Page Summary of We Are the Weather

Overview

The majority of people accept that climate change is real. They’ve seen the news reports and know about the dire situation we’re in. However, they don’t fully understand what it means for their lives. So while they acknowledge that there’s a problem, they can’t do anything to fix it because they aren’t sure how bad things are or what exactly needs to be done.

In this passage, you will learn the story of climate change and how it’s hard to grasp. You’ll also learn about a major source of pollution that hasn’t received enough attention in environmental debates. Lastly, you’ll learn effective strategies for fighting climate change by eating less meat.

You will learn about the environment and meat consumption. You’ll also find out how small protests can lead to big changes, as well as why industrial farming is a major polluter.

Big Idea #1: Climate change is not an interesting or believable story, so people aren’t motivated to fight it.

When you think of major political movements like the civil rights movement or the fight to end apartheid in South Africa, your mind will latch onto a memorable story. Rosa Parks was an African-American woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus and was subsequently arrested for it. Nelson Mandela is another example, as he spent 27 years in prison before being freed by his oppressors and then immediately forgiving them at his trial. These stories have heroes, villains, and timelines that are clear for all to see.

The story of climate change is a lot more complicated than the fight against polio. That’s because it’s felt all over the world in so many different ways, and that makes it hard for people to understand what exactly they can do about it. It also means there are no specific victims we can relate to, making us less likely to feel emotionally invested in the problem.

The idea of climate change affecting hundreds of millions of people is abstract and terrifying. It’s hard to believe that it could be true.

People have a hard time comprehending climate change because they didn’t experience anything like it before. It’s similar to people not believing the Holocaust was happening during World War II, even though there were many eye-witness accounts of the genocide.

Climate change is a complicated story, but it’s one that we must understand and engage with. We can’t afford to ignore this issue any longer.

Big Idea #2: We’re not wired to respond to abstract threats like climate change.

If your child is climbing on a play structure and appears to be about to fall, you will probably move quickly toward them. However, if someone tells you that climate change could affect your child’s life in the future, you might not do anything at all.

Humans have evolved to deal with threats. For example, children falling off climbing frames is a threat that we’re wired to respond to. We’re not designed to respond well to abstract things like climate change in the future.

Studies have shown that humans are bad at visualizing the future. In a study conducted by UCLA psychologist Hal Hershfield, participants were asked to imagine their lives in ten years. The fMRI scans showed that they thought of themselves as strangers when talking about their future selves.

To respond to climate change, we need a way of projecting ourselves into the future and imagining what will happen if we continue to destroy the planet. That’s something that we aren’t ready for.

Furthermore, we don’t remember the past very well. We are constantly adapting to change so much that we often fail to realize when things have changed. For example, we get used to heat waves in Europe and hurricanes hitting coastal cities every year.