Are you optimistic about climate change?

Recently, I’ve been having conversations with climate (change) experts — scientists, writers, policy makers.

These conversations have been wide-ranging, we’ve talked about specific policies, emerging climate science, the latest on Brexit…but I’ve always made sure to ask one question:

“Are you optimistic about climate change?”

The response is always the same: a sigh and a pause. Sometimes with a bit of nervous laughter thrown in.

I ask this question because sometimes as a sector we can be very good at avoiding the truth. I don’t mean that we sugarcoat things, or gloss over anything. No, we talk a lot about the science, policy developments, the changes we need to make and how we can make them. We talk in quite clear terms about IPCC reports; issuing stark warnings and calling for change. But I have never heard anyone in the sector say: “I’m actually really worried and scared about this. I’m not sure what will happen”.

So, I wanted to ask.

The answers have been resoundingly similar — and resoundingly positive.

Most of the people I talk to think that we can limit warming to 1.5C. We can, but we won’t. However they do think a limit of 2C is likely, with some people thinking it’s very likely. They point to evidence that many companies are embedding sustainability into their practices, that climate change is the biggest priority for young voters, that renewable energy is increasingly becoming cheaper than fossil fuels — and that there are millions of people all over the world quietly working away on the problem.

1.5C will happen. Already has happened in some places, and for some places this amount of warming alone is catastrophic. If you log into Twitter it can often seem like the whole world is on fire; metaphorically and literally. It can be disheartening to say the least.

But there are more reasons to be cheerful and to believe that climate change can be limited than it might seem. It is vitally important to maintain your optimism in order to even think about taking on the immense challenge. I like to call it pragmatic optimism — not blind faith, but a realistic and positive approach.

Because otherwise, what’s the point?

So keep working, keep trying and keep your head up. Nothing will change if we don’t.