Just as we have become used to hearing about the effects of climate change on the world's weather patterns, how we talk about it is evolving, too. We're now familiar with "climate change", whereas not too long ago, it was "global warming" or the "greenhouse effect" (both singling out temperature rises as the main outcome). You may find it surprising that those two words have a long history. Lexicographers at the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) found "climate change" in print as far back as 1854 in an article exploring why winters were milder in Europe. Even then, there was debate about the cause. Was it down to deforestation and the draining of marshes, or could it be something happening to the Earth's magnetic poles?³
...did you know that the language of climate change and sustainability ... is constantly evolving to reflect new realities and concerns? Some terms have surged, others have taken on a revised meaning, and some are just brand new.Trish Stewart, Senior Science Editor OED
It might be a coincidence that climate change first appeared in print when the first industrial revolution was at its height. Still, it would be many years before the link between increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and changing weather patterns was proved. That was only 20 years ago, when Professor Pete Stott of the UK's Met Office published a paper in Nature linking climate change with the 2003 European heatwave.⁴ Those findings led to the scientific movement called extreme event attribution. Today, the headlines we regularly read are because they can accurately plot the effects of climate change on our planet's weather systems.
The causes behind today’s events have also become widely accepted. The OED generally avoids chemical formulas. But, as an exception, "CO₂" now sits with "NOx" and "H₂O" as the only entries in the dictionary. Even how we complete the phrase "climate…" is evolving, with some now preferring "emergency" or "crisis" rather than simply "change".
How we describe climate change is one thing. How it can adversely affect our well-being is another. This has recently been termed "eco-anxiety", referring to the emotional response to the environmental crisis. ⁵ It manifests itself more readily in areas already experiencing the brunt of climate change effects. But its impact may be found everywhere, in those who work directly with the issues, from scientists and engineers to journalists, to anyone concerned with the potential outcome of irreversible climate change.
One particular group that suffers from eco-anxiety is the younger generation. Writing in Rotman Management⁶ last year, Britt Wray reported on the findings from a Stanford study of 10,000 young people aged 15 to 25 from around the globe. The study included countries as diverse as the US, UK, France, Finland, Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, Portugal, Australia, and India. The findings were startling:
Across low-, middle-, and high-income standards, 45% stated that climate-related issues negatively impact their daily lives. From eating to sleeping, the ability to concentrate or even to enjoy themselves were all cited as being affected.
Impaired functioning was found to be more acute in lower-income countries already experiencing the worst effects. But even in more affluent countries, the results were concerning. Here, 75% described the prospects as "frightening", 56% agreed with the statement "humanity is doomed", and 39% said the situation is causing them to question whether to have their own children.
For every person who suffers from eco-anxiety, there will be many more who tune out from the noise or who believe the scale of the issues is too great to influence. However, as individuals or as businesses, we have a choice: where we decide to invest or spend our resources, who we choose to do business with or not, and even where we decide to spend our working lives. Collectively, these have the potential to add up to positive action.
How the effects of climate change are communicated is critical. The words used, the choice of focus, and the sentiment contained all need careful consideration. The United Nations strongly recommends the inclusion of three factors.⁷
this includes ensuring facts and figures come from a reliable, science-based source and avoiding misinformation and greenwashing (portraying a company or product as environmentally friendly when it is not).
this is vital to avoid a sense of "crisis fatigue" and defeat. The race to net zero by 2050 and halving GHGs by 2030 is a formidable challenge. To reach those goals, a strong focus must be on the 'how'. As we progress along the sustainability journey, more solutions will emerge.
stressing the urgency, a laser-like focus on the opportunities, and emphasising the relevance of action are motivating factors. How we limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C might be difficult to picture for many, but showing how increased efficiency, for example, can reduce emissions is tangible and within reach.
Double-check what the company is really doing to reduce their carbon footprint and deliver on their climate promises, and only promote genuinely sustainable brands that meet certain minimum criteria.
That's sound advice, but how and where do you ensure that companies deliver on their promises? One reliable source is the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), founded in 2015 as a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Since then, it has played a key role in mobilising companies worldwide to take action to mitigate climate change. The process involves committing to realistic, achievable goals (sector-dependent) and developing these with the organisation before submitting them for validation. Over 5,500 businesses globally now have validated targets. Spirax Group targets were approved last year for our near-, long-term, and net zero goals. They are:
*: From a 2021 base year.
**: A company's value chain covers all its activities, from design, sourcing, manufacturing, and the customers use of its products.
Commitments transform promises into reality. They are a declaration of intent, setting the benchmark by which we are measured. The SBTi openly shows those organisations that have made such undertakings and those that have been removed per its Commitment Compliance Policy (you'll find the targets dashboard here).
Being held accountable will be increasingly important as we collectively act with purpose to transform our future. Equally important is our ability to work together and forge partnerships along the way to ensure we reach those targets.
In our field of expertise, steam thermal solutions, we have already learnt much about what can be achieved. This year will see the launch of our Customer Sustainability Journey, and the sharing of our experience to date.
¹: The title of this article was first coined by the Bureau of Linguistic Reality, a San Francisco-based arts project that examines new ways to convey the emotions brought about by climate change. It uses the rhetorical device called antimetabole, famously used by President Kennedy in his inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
²: https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2023
³: Scientific American, Nov 2021: Climate Change Is Creating New Vocabulary, from Eco-Anxiety to Kaitiakitanga
⁴: UK Research and Innovation: A brief history of climate change discoveries
⁵: The Journal of Climate Change and Health, Aug 2021: Understanding Eco-anxiety: A Systematic Scoping Review of Current Literature and Identified Knowledge Gaps
⁶: Rotman School of Management, Winter 2023: The Big Ideas Issue
⁷: United Nations: Communicating on Climate Change
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