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And how to properly dispose of automotive oil.
“I think the climate scientists and activists of my generation have done a great disservice to the next generation, because we have scared the crap out of them, and because we have only told them one half of the story, and we haven’t told them how solutions to climate change will make the future better.”
— Simon Donner, climate scientist and UBC professor
Dear Reader,
Hope sometimes gets a bad rap, accused of being insufficient to the crisis of climate change, of generating toxic positivity. University of British Columbia professor and climate scientist Simon Donner agrees when it’s false hope, which he says, people can see straight through.
But following a 2023 study of Canadian young people that indicated that more than half of them felt anxious and powerless about climate change (and 78% say it's affecting their mental health), people such as Donner are working to help youth find genuine hope. Young people are scared and anxious. And that’s a legitimate response to this moment in history. But, he says, that’s just half the story. What young people (and the rest of us!) also need to be hearing about are all those stepping up to address the crisis — the incredible solutions that are being implemented in myriad ways around the world, all the time.
But Donner offers up a solution of his own, and it’s one we encourage at Bluedot: Talk about climate change with family and friends. This serves a number of purposes. Sharing our feelings of anxiety can help prevent them from spiralling into doom, which they’re more likely to do when kept bottled up. You’ll feel less alone. And you’ll also activate a sense of possibility. And perhaps even generate some solutions of your own.
Don’t miss this Bluedot story, including one student’s experience surviving a wildfire, about University of Victoria’s Climate Disaster Project, which helps young people impacted by climate disasters find words and healing through telling their stories.
Talkatively,
Dot
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
