Does eating less meat really help against climate change? Why do I feel guilty when I go on a plane holiday? In the new theme 'How the climate affects you', NEMO Kennislink dives into the world of climate and energy. Editor-in-chief Leon Heuts writes about how we do this:with an interactive house, in-depth articles and living room dialogues.
In a well-known pop song, Joan Osborne sings What if God was one of us/ just a slob like one of us… If only we could rise above everything as gods, and completely overlook reality. We could turn the right buttons to make things better here on Earth. Ending wars and hunger, perhaps above all solving the climate crisis – the greatest threat to people and the planet for the coming decades.
We are not gods, just people trying to make the best of life. With all the wishes, desires, triumphs and failures that come with it. That's fine, we've muddled on like this for thousands of years, and quite successfully as a species. At the same time, muddling through with the climate crisis is not an option:we have to change course. Many of us know that too, but how? Does my contribution to living more sustainably carry weight? Especially if my neighbor flies to a distant holiday destination three times a year, let alone what large companies do. And what choices do I make? I can eat less or no meat – but some exotic fruits also require a lot of water or energy to produce. A series of binges on Netflix causes emissions – but isn't an information carrier like a DVD even more harmful?
Science as a guide
How nice it would be to see life in all its complexity as a dashboard in which everything is clear. But the climate crisis is what the English philosopher Timothy Morton calls a “hyperobject” – an issue so vast and complex that we lose sight of it. In such a hyperobject, everything interlocks, like a big tangle. And we are part of it ourselves:we feel the effects, but we don't really know what to do.
At the same time, we realize that things really have to change, and it is weighing on us. We feel responsible for the planet – and certainly for generations to come. Also something that usually doesn't bother gods:anxiety or depression. They know everything, and see through it all. We, on the other hand, are stuck with the curse that we see the problem, but don't really know the solution. Because it's too complicated, or because we're so insignificant ourselves.
In this theme we do not pretend that we know the solution. But we do try to learn a number of lessons from dealing with hyperobjects. Firstly – a very important one for NEMO Kennislink – you always want the best and reliable knowledge when dealing with complex problems. You want to understand as best you can what is going on. For us, science is the best guide.
Living room dialogues
At the same time, we also see that reliable knowledge alone is not enough to change course. Because how do we do that? How do we reinvent ourselves? What makes it difficult is that in large and complex cases, meaningful changes arise from within. You can't just impose them. It's like water:we know that many water molecules are 'wet' together. But that property is not imposed, it comes 'from within' – and nobody knows how many molecules that starts with.
That is difficult, but it also offers a great opportunity. Although we are not gods, we can make connections 'from the inside'. To see which meanings arise. We therefore look for connection, dialogue and cooperation in the theme. Of course we are interested in major technical or political 'solutions' to the climate crisis. But rather, we want to look together at unsuspected action perspectives. We do this, for example, through the living room dialogues, which we are organizing in three places in the country these weeks.
Related to this, it is precisely in difficult circumstances that it helps to keep stories simpler and personal. You never see it all, but you can guide through it with a guide – just like you get to know a city better than ever through the eyes of a guide. We therefore have many personal stories in the theme of people who have been affected by the climate crisis. And we have blogs from editor Mariska van Sprundel, who explores feelings of shame and guilt – as well as the opportunity to change.
Energy Junkies
That is also a third insight:the combination of lack of clarity and the threatening situation leads to confusion, guilt and fear. Feelings that can just as well make you resentful, if they are not given space. Why should I change? We think there should be a place for those feelings. There is nothing wrong with guilt or fear, they show that it concerns us, hence the name of the theme. But we must be able to express them.
And we do that almost literally:we build an interactive house online, where we explore negative feelings on the basis of objects. The house itself ensures recognisability and togetherness – as an online monument – and we also hope that it is fun to wander through. We give those feelings a place during a special program in De Studio of Science Museum NEMO. This program runs parallel to the Energy Junkies exhibition.
Another insight into complex problems is that without an interdisciplinary approach a perspective can never arise. Climate crisis is as much a technical as a psychological problem. It's about heat pumps and CO2 compensation, but also about who we actually want to be. What do we actually consider a successful life?
Cathedral Builders
An insight that comes to my mind is that a new lifestyle is not only threatening, but also proud. The theme contains stories by climate editors Joris Tielens and Stijn Schreven about how connections also arise between many generations. How did it all start? And what is our responsibility for the future, as good ancestors? A new perspective on who we are ourselves has a broadening effect. It's not just about success in our own lives, any more than the great cathedral builders were after just personal fame. We are working on a building – planet earth – in which our great-grandchildren can still live happily. How special is that!
In this theme, editors, designers, illustrators, project leaders, dialogue builders and program makers work together to create new insights. There's an idea behind this that journalism doesn't have to be just about the fame of the author, while we still wish everyone her or his success. It's very small, but we think it's important for this damaged planet – where we have to make it together. We hope that you will participate as much as possible.