I’m here to tell climate scientists: knock it off

Also: An ode to "Reservation Dogs" [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 8, 2023 Dear Cog reader, There are a few things to know about Barbara Moran. In addition to being one of WBUR’s crackerjack environmental correspondents, she’s the sort of person who will DM you a silly meme when you’re having a rough day, or pop a note in the mail with a Ted Lasso sticker tucked inside. (Yes, she’s done both those things for me.) She’s also a beautiful writer. Cog has published a few of her essays before – one about the experience of “[going vegan]( another about her [family’s tiny cottage]( in Breezy Point, Queens. It’s a little bit unusual for our reporter colleagues to write for Cog. They don’t often do it, I think, because it can be complicated for journalists to share their personal opinions (instead of reporting out what they dig up for a story). But in Barb’s case, her reflections on climate science – and how it’s talked about – feels to me to be a crucial nuance of her journalism. Barb’s [essay]( is about how climate scientists and journalists are sugar-coating the realities of our warming planet, to our peril. She argues that many climate experts are endeavoring to stave off despair – the public’s and their own – but it’s not a good idea. Without giving too much away: For years, scientists have been talking about 1.5 degrees Celsius. When we eclipse 1.5 degrees of warming, we’ve arrived at the some points of no return: when rising seas drown island nations and almost all coral reefs die. A recent United Nations report suggested that we'd reach that temperature sooner than previously thought: “Honestly, as a climate journalist, that totally freaked me out,” Barb writes. In light of that very public UN report, she presumed her sources might adopt a more somber tone, but was perplexed to find them as sunny as ever. They were saying things like: “We need to act now to stay below 1.5” or “It’s getting harder, but still technically possible.” She knew that wasn’t true, and felt like she was being gaslit. “Technically possible,” she asks? “Like, if aliens appear with magic tools that fix climate change?” A lot of people read the essay. It’s hard to know, exactly, what readers found so captivating. I know Barb could school us with her knowledge of climate science and carbon pricing models, but what makes this essay work is how accessible it is. No pretense, no complicated jargon. And for me, she pokes at an even bigger question: how we talk about hard truths. It’s something we have to do more and more of these days, whether it’s helping our kids metabolize the climate crisis, or school shootings, or threats to democracy. So, how do we it? In Barb’s case, with brutal honesty, some humor and a deep belief in human capacity. “I’m here to tell climate scientists — and my fellow climate journalists — to knock it off,” she writes. Cloe Axelson Senior Editor, Cognoscenti [Follow]( Support the news   Must Reads [Many scientists don’t want to tell the truth about climate change. Here’s why]( Climate scientists, in an effort to stave off despair, aren’t telling the truth about our warming planet. In reality, we're incredibly close to the point of no return: when rising seas drown island nations and almost all coral reefs die. I’m here to tell climate scientists — and my fellow climate journalists — to knock it off, writes Barbara Moran. [Read more.]( [Many scientists don’t want to tell the truth about climate change. Here’s why]( Climate scientists, in an effort to stave off despair, aren’t telling the truth about our warming planet. In reality, we're incredibly close to the point of no return: when rising seas drown island nations and almost all coral reefs die. I’m here to tell climate scientists — and my fellow climate journalists — to knock it off, writes Barbara Moran. [Read more.]( [‘Reservation Dogs’ reminded me that I carry my Native community with me]( When it comes to Native history, laughter makes as much of an impact as tears, writes Vanessa Lillie. “Reservation Dogs” reminded me, again and again, how community isn’t only good for the soul, but needed for survival. [Read more.]( [‘Reservation Dogs’ reminded me that I carry my Native community with me]( When it comes to Native history, laughter makes as much of an impact as tears, writes Vanessa Lillie. “Reservation Dogs” reminded me, again and again, how community isn’t only good for the soul, but needed for survival. [Read more.]( [The mirror of old friends]( A lot can happen over a 30-year friendship, writes Holly Robinson. Some of my mom friendships didn’t outlast the parenting years, but this one has deepened through seismic life shifts. [Read more.]( [The mirror of old friends]( A lot can happen over a 30-year friendship, writes Holly Robinson. Some of my mom friendships didn’t outlast the parenting years, but this one has deepened through seismic life shifts. [Read more.]( [It's time to audit the Mass. Legislature]( Between soaring housing costs and a beleaguered public transportation system, there's no shortage of crises facing Massachusetts. But the commonwealth has one of the least efficient, least productive state governments in the U.S, writes Miles Howard. He thinks a formal review of the Legislature would help. [Read more.]( [It's time to audit the Mass. Legislature]( Between soaring housing costs and a beleaguered public transportation system, there's no shortage of crises facing Massachusetts. But the commonwealth has one of the least efficient, least productive state governments in the U.S, writes Miles Howard. He thinks a formal review of the Legislature would help. [Read more.]( [How we should remember Dianne Feinstein]( We do Sen. Dianne Feinstein and ourselves a disservice if we remember only the failing, memory-impaired figure of the past couple of years, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. Her career is marked by conviction, tenacity and a willingness to live with compromise. [Read more.]( [How we should remember Dianne Feinstein]( We do Sen. Dianne Feinstein and ourselves a disservice if we remember only the failing, memory-impaired figure of the past couple of years, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. Her career is marked by conviction, tenacity and a willingness to live with compromise. [Read more.]( What We're Reading “The paperbacks were intended to help soldiers pass the time. But they were also meant to remind them what they were fighting for, and draw a sharp contrast between American ideals and Nazi book burnings.” “[How the Humble Paperback Helped Win World War II]( The New York Times. “[Zachary] Clifton has been on LinkedIn since he was 14. Yes, that kind of makes him the 2023 version of Anthony Michael Hall’s nerd character in The Breakfast Club — the one who procured a fake ID so he could vote.” “[Teens Love LinkedIn]( The Cut. “Whether or not you have graduated from college is especially important. This single social marker now determines much more than it did in the past what sort of economic opportunities you are likely to have and even how likely you are to get married.” “[Nothing Defines America’s Social Divide Like a College Education]( The Atlantic. "Again and again, we see how community isn’t only good for the soul but needed for survival." — Vanessa Lillie, "[‘Reservation Dogs’ reminded me that I carry my Native community with me]( From the Archive [There’s no one way to be a Boston sports fan]( At the heart of being a sports fan is hope, writes Cloe Axelson. When a game begins, we don’t know how it will end – or when it will start to make a new city feel like home. [Read more.]( [There’s no one way to be a Boston sports fan]( At the heart of being a sports fan is hope, writes Cloe Axelson. When a game begins, we don’t know how it will end – or when it will start to make a new city feel like home. [Read more.]( If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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