Prompt
Think about the various theories that Elizabeth Kolbert supplies in her brief discussion in Chapter 11 of “cli-psy” or climate psychology to account for the “gap between the science of global warming and the public’s response.”
She mentions three theories for this gap:
1-the public’s continuing confusion about what scientists are really saying,
2-the confusion between the science and one’s identity or tribal commitment, and
3-the psychological strategies that people use to avoid painful subjects.
Instructions
Read Chapter 11 of Field Notes from a Catastrophe.
Choose ONE of the three theories that Kolbert discusses in Chapter 11, and compare it with ideas that Rich has explored in his article.
Write a paragraph in which you discuss the ways in which the theory your chose from Field Notes is echoed and/or distorted in the content of “Losing Earth.”
OR
Discuss the ways in which you have witnessed the theory being played out among your acquaintances.
Losing The Earth by Nathaniel Rich: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/01/magazine/climate-change-losing-earth.html