By Robert Bradley Jr. — December 2, 2022
“Doctor. Duhaime was invited to free up her brain to question the premise of climate alarmism and forced energy transition. Listen to recent climate debates involving Steven Koonin. Read by Alex Epstein fossil future. Sponsor a discussion/debate at Harvard University with both. ‘Train your brain’ properly.
It was a great intellectual ruse. Part of it is thinking magic: that wind, sun and batteries can substitute for mineral power and thus “save the planet”. The other part is the shared “everyone knows” story: catastrophic climate change is happening due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
inside New York Times‘Climate Forward’s, Somini Sengupta recently interviewed neuroscientist Ann-Christine Duhaime based on her new book, “Caring for the climate: How neuroscience can help solve our environmental crisis. (Harvard University Press). The question she sets out to answer (according to Climate Ahead) is: “Why can’t we mortals grasp and act on the climate emergency.”
of the Times”Knowledge training“Start by introducing the expert.
Ann-Christine Duhaime is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital. She looks at the brain. Over the course of her 35-year career, she’s looked inside a lot of brains. She knew that the human brain was designed by evolution and it was flexible, and it completely transformed the planet.
(Yes, this is going badly when a pediatric neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital is given the privilege of thinking for all of us.)
Sengupta opens the interview by explaining how Duhaime’s analysis applies “largely to citizens of rich countries, who, by all accounts, need to make some big and quick behavioral changes quickly to slow down global warming.” Here is Duhaime’s response:
The design of our brains evolved primarily for short-term decision-making, focusing on immediate, tangible survival-related situations: I take the action and I have the food.
Climate change is difficult because it is long-term rather than immediate. It is difficult to perceive directly; We don’t need to develop carbon dioxide sensors to survive. The results of our environmental actions remain largely unseen. Also, the things that cause climate change are rewarding. Fossil fuels have made our lives easier in many ways. They have also made many people rich.
(Make that 8 billion, and most of all make life easier – can create more people and live longer.)
Her answer was to “train our brains” to do the ‘right’ thing about the environment, even though that may not be to our own benefit. Her ‘eco-group’ test tells her the solution is ready.
In the experiment, called Eco-Group, neighborhood leaders invited households in their area to form a group. The team must choose which behaviors to change, such as reducing solid waste, using less energy or saving water. They are taught how to change those behaviors and how to track their results, such as weighing their trash or measuring their energy use. The group met regularly. They shared advice. They provide mutual support. They compete against other teams from other regions. They make it fun.
The analysis of this program showed that long after the program ended, the participants continued their environmental protection behaviors. They incorporate something new into their self-image. In other words, their brains have changed.
In this regard, I speak on behalf of most Americans who say, Count me out. Our charity time is too scarce to spread like that. We don’t have to run after the promised “social rewards”. Anyway, when it comes to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, why not advocate Greening planet Earth with the byproduct of the most abundant, reliable, affordable energy source?
Ann-Christine Duhaime concluded: “Much of the problem will need to be solved by collective action. But this also happens at the brain level. Someone has to start a movement, and others have to be persuaded to join.”
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Wrong problem, wrong cause. Dr. Duhaime is invited to free her brain to question the premise of climate alarmism and forced energy transition. Listen to recent climate debates involving Steve Koonin. Read Alex Epstein’s recent book, fossil future. Even sponsor a discussion/debate with these two. “Train your brain” properly.
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