Dialogue
…creating space to talk about what we can do, in light of reality
and in truth, it may well depend on it.”
Catherine Ingram
The roots of indifference
Until very recently, only a small minority were willing to engage with the consequences of accelerating climate change and ecological breakdown. This reluctance has clear causes:
- Decades of deliberate misinformation aligned with corporate interests.
- An unfounded belief that technology will resolve the crises we have created.
- Widespread ignorance of the processes shaping our lives and surroundings.
- Denial that sustains comforting illusions and the appearance of normality.
As a result, we became detached from reality, lost sight of the true scale of the challenges ahead, and squandered the roughly thirty years during which there might still have been a genuine chance to slow these processes in a meaningful way.
Sobering honesty
We have drifted away from reality largely because we hesitate to speak about it clearly and openly. For most of us, the very idea of discussing the greatest existential threat in human history feels profoundly unsettling.
Getting people to honestly confront the consequences of irreversible processes we have set in motion – processes that endanger not only our way of life but our very existence – often seems close to impossible.
A courageous step
And yet, these conversations must take place if we are to give ourselves any chance of slowing the processes underway, building systems with sufficient resilience, and creating the conditions that allow future generations to adapt to radically altered living conditions.
Because so few people dare to initiate these conversations with those around them, the scale of the problem is consistently underestimated. And recognising its true gravity is the first step towards meaningful action.
So why is this so difficult?
The excuses… or why we don’t talk about it
Misinformation, unfounded hope, ignorance, and denial all play a role in avoiding the subject. But one of the deepest reasons for our silence is fear.
For most people, fear itself is what prevents them from speaking about the consequences of climate change and the breakdown of natural systems.
Nature magazine identifies four fear-based excuses people commonly use. If we want to start these conversations but encounter resistance, recognising these patterns can help us address both fear and denial:
- I don’t know enough about it.
- I don’t want to talk about frightening things.
- I don’t believe I can make a difference.
- I don’t want to start an argument.
I don’t know enough about it
The situation is so complex that very few people truly understand how Earth’s systems function – or the scale of disruption and damage caused by human civilisation. Even so, it is never too late to catch up, or at least to make a conscious effort to do so.
One effective way of working with fear is to seek knowledge: reading widely, staying informed, and learning about ways to build resilience.
As encouragement, it can help to recall Albert Einstein’s insight: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” All of us need to rethink how we live on this planet.
I don’t want to talk about frightening things
It is a very human response to avoid conversations about what scares us. Even for scientists, speaking clearly and honestly about the true scale and severity of the changes ahead can be deeply challenging.
The challenges posed by climate change and ecological collapse are genuinely frightening, but fear on its own does not enable us to see or act differently.
It becomes useful only when we learn to work with it: when we process it, allow it to deepen our awareness, and draw courage from it to face the tasks that lie ahead.
Balance matters in these conversations. Alongside difficult realities, it helps to hold space for grounding, life-affirming perspectives – not promises of solutions or comforting illusions, but reflections that support acceptance. Acceptance can bring a sense of calm, helping us to value and care for what and who still surrounds us.
I don’t believe I can make a difference
When people feel a problem is too vast to influence, they tend to withdraw and disengage. In such moments, it helps to remind our conversation partners that, throughout human history, the most profound changes have almost always begun with the initiative of a small number of individuals.
Make it clear that simply having an open, honest conversation here and now about the possibility of social collapse driven by the changes ahead is already a significant step.
It opens the space for seeing one’s situation differently, and for acting on behalf of oneself and one’s loved ones.
What matters is that people recognise this is about their lives. And the more widely this becomes understood, the easier these conversations will become.
I don’t want to start an argument
We live in unsettled times, with conflict increasingly present around us. It is understandable that people want to avoid adding more tension to their lives through difficult conversations. While this may feel like a short-term solution, in the long run it neither strengthens human relationships nor addresses the growing challenges we face.
If fear of conflict prevents essential conversations from taking place, it helps to remember that every conflict also opens up new possibilities.
Few of us are formally trained in conflict resolution, but this is a skill that can be learned, and one well worth developing. It will serve us everywhere, in all circumstances. Once again, remember: conflict can also be an opportunity.
“Most people do not really want the truth; they just want reassurance that what they already believe is true.”
Winston Chruchill