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I really don't think we should call the "environmental crisis" a "crisis". For example, smoking probably causes more deaths than Covid. So, while it may be pe
by gyulai 5y ago
I really don't think we should call the "environmental crisis" a "crisis".
For example, smoking probably causes more deaths than Covid. So, while it may be perfectly true that things like smoking and pollution are bigger public health issues than Covid, we never spoke of a "smoking crisis", and justifiably so.
The thing that makes a crisis into a crisis is that it's highly discrete in time and there is a temporally very limited window of opportunity to take action. This is true of Covid, but it's not true of smoking or pollution.
A politican speaking of a climate "crisis" is engaging in the same psychological manipulation tactic as a radio commercial telling you to "act now on this limited-time offer", or a used-car salesman telling you that you have to buy that car right now, because this other guy definitely just called and is now on his way to the lot, and will likely buy the car you're interested in as soon as you leave the lot.
- modo_mario 5y ago>limited window of opportunity to take action Things like permafrost melting and releasing more methane?
- palae 5y ago> The thing that makes a crisis into a crisis is that it's highly discrete in time and there is a temporally very limited window of opportunity to take action. That is your definition, but not necessarily the one meant by others. From Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis): "Essential Meaning of crisis : a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention" [...] Definition 3b: "a situation that has reached a critical phase // the environmental crisis"
- gyulai 5y agoMy point exactly. The dictionary editors must have noticed that "environmental crisis" entered into common parlance, and didn't fit the pre-existing definitions of "crisis", so they had to invent a new definition to be able to cover it. Besides: The definition is a really bad one, as it's circular.
- palae 5y agoWhat about the "essential meaning"? It's non-circular and (to me) fitting.
- artonge 5y agoI am not sure that I agree with you, climate change is a crisis. The time frame to act was short and we missed it. Now we can only limit the damages.
- MattRix 5y agoIt was discrete in time and there was a limited window of time to take action. We’re already too. It’s also going to affect humanity in ways much stronger than any amount of smoking ever could.
- alexitorg 5y agoWeird I find "Climate emergency" a poor use of words, but I think "Climate crisis" is fine. A crisis can take a long time to play out. Just look at the crisis of the 3rd century. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_of_the_Third_Century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_of_the_Third_Century> It took 49 years to play out.