Climate Change In David Roberts's 'Why Bother?'

444 Words2 Pages
In the article, “Why climate change doesn’t spark moral outrage, and how it could” by David Roberts, it talks about the fact that climate change doesn’t affect us personally. We may recognize it is a great moral wrong, but we do not feel it as a moral wrong. “Why Bother?” by Michael Pollan starts out by saying why we should bother to do something about climate change. Pollan goes on by saying that even if we decide to do something, how do we know if we are doing it right. He shows this in the statement, “And even if in the face of this derision I decide I am going to bother, there arises the whole vexed question of getting it right” (Pollan, 2008). Here, the author uses Robert’s suggestion of “Burdens versus benefits.” For this strategy Roberts suggest, “focusing messaging on the burdens that unmitigated climate change will leave on future generations rather than on potential benefits (Davids, 2012). People will feel more inclined to help or realize the situation is serious when the focus is on costs.…show more content…
Pollan asserts, “If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand” (Pollan, 2008). This is similar to Robert Davids suggestion because it shows that seeing other people making a change, will compel others to follow them, especially if they are viewed as peers or leaders. Having a group of people acting on climate change is a powerful incentive hard to ignore. Others may change their views from this and even their moral

    More about Climate Change In David Roberts's 'Why Bother?'

      Open Document