Climate change: How to talk to a denier

Image source, Jana Tauschinski/ BBC

When the people closest to you think climate change is a lie, what can you do?

Lance asked his father if he thought global warming was a problem.

Lance says that he was told something along the lines of "It's nonsense" by the man.

His father spoke of politicians who were afraid of the voters. He told Lance that climate change was crazy.

Image source, Lance Lawson

Lance is living with his father in Florida. It made a big impression on him when he was a teenager.

He says his dad is a smart man. It must be true if my father is telling me that.

Lance decided to challenge his father after he realised his views weren't supported by scientific evidence.

He would downplay the evidence whenever he drove me to school. I would have to get new evidence in order to expand my knowledge.

Lance was able to do what he did because someone close to him believed in the validity of climate change.

Maybe you don't know how to explain the basics of global warming.

The uphill battle to find a safer future is lost if we don't address climate denial and climate indifference.

We need to take care of our teachers. All of us need to communicate.

How do you start the discussion?

The professor at the University of Cambridge studies how people get sucked into conspiracy theories.

Image source, Daniella Da Silva

He says confronting people with hard evidence isn't the best way to go.

There is a high chance that fighting conspiracy theories with facts will backfire.

Telling people that they don't know what they're talking about creates more defensive responses.

Lance says that people who don't believe in climate change are uneducated.

There are a lot of people who are naturally skeptical.

Brian was born in rural Minnesota in the 1970s. Brian says it was hard for him to believe scientists who talked about a "warming planet".

Image source, Getty Images

Lance asked his father if climate change was real and if he had a moral responsibility to take care of what God had given him.

Brian saysLance spoke in a language that he could understand. It's important to approach people in terms of their current location.

Changing the minds of climate deniers is not possible without affirming their view of the world.

He suggests asking questions such as: "Have you considered that some of these theories might be created to take advantage of people?"

Climate change denial is a topic that no one likes to be talked about.

If someone sees a power differential, you can't convince them. The whole idea of a conspiracy is that the elites are scheming against us.

Lance's close bond with his dad is something he believes was key to persuading him, but he says it's important to check your tone. Don't get carried away. Don't be aggressive.

It can take months or even years to fall down the rabbit hole.

Prof van derLinden believes that it's not realistic to think you'll win someone over with a single conversation.

Talking to climate change deniers may not be worth it.

The spread of misinformation on social media is researched by the author.

Image source, TikTok/Tofology

"Effort is better spent pushing for change, rather than trying to combat solidified disinformation that has been pushed for a long time," she says.

"I don't want to waste my energy on debunking more of their misinformation," she said.

Some of these people are loud and influential in public debate.

It's risky to not do anything when they have large voices.

Lance was able to convince his father that climate change was real because he was patient and patient.

In the middle of the night, my dad came downstairs and said that he wouldn't believe what he saw in the documentary about the rainforest.

He was so engaged in the moment that it was awe inspiring.

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