"Don't get me wrong. I pretty much only see downsides to global warming. I also see that we need to stop it and limit the damage already done. But alongside the avalanche of threats and warnings, global warming also offers an opportunity. A small opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless: an opportunity to fundamentally rethink our relationship to our planet. Global warming is a motivation to adjust our perspective on our planet, to become ambassadors for planet Earth, and to recruit new ambassadors."
"For many of us, it is difficult to comprehend climate change. When I look outside, I don't notice much of it. Sure, I occasionally see smog hanging over a city, I notice that the rainstorms are getting a little heavier, the summers become a little warmer, and I see the graphs predicting the worst. But to understand climate change, to really grasp it, you need to look at our planet from a distance."
"Only a selected few are privileged to view the Earth from a distance - in fact, only a few hundred who can call themselves "astronauts". They describe the moment when the Earth comes into view from space as a transformative experience. They realize that its beauty invites care and necessitates protection. It is that very realization that motivates them to take meaningful action."
Global warming produces primarily harmful effects but creates a small opportunity to fundamentally rethink humanity's relationship with the planet. Observing Earth from space clarifies the planet's beauty and vulnerability and motivates protective action. Only a few hundred astronauts experience this transformative Overview Effect directly, prompting stewardship and meaningful efforts. Most people on the ground struggle to perceive climate change's consequences through everyday observation. Helping younger generations and recruiting new ambassadors who can convey visible impacts is important to improve collective understanding and response to a changing planet.
Read at Psychology Today
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