Member-only story
The Language You Use Is Powerful
Please be aware of how you speak.
It may sound petty — but it isn’t. We need to change the language which we use to discuss and write about our biggest problems.
As Matthew Nisbet, PhD wrote in his recent article about climate change tribalism:
“There can be no progress on climate change until we rebuild our civic capacity to discuss, debate, and disagree in ways that do not turn every aspect of climate politics into an identity-driven tribal war between good and evil.”
The antagonisms in our dialogues (or fights, rather) with those with whom we disagree are one thing. But the words we use to reaffirm each other’s views matter, too.
Recently I read an article about banana trees in South America being at a high risk of getting a fungal disease called Black Sigatoka. Just another effect of the facts we are already familiar with. The global temperature is rising and the climate overall is changing — which makes certain species thrive (in this case, the fungus) and others, die (the banana trees).
The same old story — just retold from the perspective of different protagonists.
