Introduction
There’s a debate between people who believe it’s too late to stop global warming, there’s nothing we can do, and we’re headed to extinction (called climate doomism, or doomists) and climate optimists. Climate optimists believe we still have time, and it’s still possible to turn things around. Climate optimists say hope is essential for action. Some climate optimists believe doomism is dangerous. They may say we must have hope.
The ‘ism’ on the end of the words doomism and optimism is a clue that we’re talking about a mindset or an ideology. That is, a set of beliefs that explain the way the world is and how it works. How we think about the world affects how we feel. These different mindsets also influence the kinds of strategies that make sense for coping with the climate crisis and our feelings about it, as well as what we do (or don’t do) about the crisis. We don’t need to pick a side in the debate between doomism and optimism. Looking at what they say might help us explore our personal ideas and beliefs.
The notes below reflect the personal views of participants in the conversation. They are shared with permission and have been edited for anonymity and clarity.
The quotes
For this conversation, we focused on quotes about doomism.
Climate doomism is the idea that we are past the point of being able to do anything at all about global warming – and that mankind is highly likely to go extinct.
Environmentalism gives false hope. We are already past the point of no return. We should face reality.
Paul Kingsnorth, The Ecologist, 2010.
People are giving up on activism because they’re like, ‘I can’t handle it anymore… This is too much…’ and ‘If it really is too late why am I even trying?
Curiously enough, accepting this reality brings about not despair, as some have suggested, but a great sense if hope. Once we top pretending the impossible can happen, we are released to think seriously about the future.
Our reworking
We are past the point of no return, in that global warming is already here. We should face that reality, which means reducing emissions, preparing for adaptation and ignoring fantastical solutions like going to Mars. Then we can think about what we can do.
What do you think or feel at the end of today’s conversation?
“I felt, not really negative, just down. A turning point for me was to think about a terminally ill person and how acceptance helps them to plan and live at the end.”
“For me, this is going over old ground (I’m thinking of a book I read, Oliver Burkeman, The Antidote)1, but it’s a good thing. It’s useful”.
“I agree, it’s refreshed ideas I’ve come across before”.
“I liked it when we reworded the quote and dropped the generalisations”.
“The uncertainty over the timescale makes me fluctuate. Have we 50 years or 10,000? mankind will definitely go extinct at some point. Actions we can take will give us longer, but that depends upon people being altruistic”.
“I avoid my feelings about the future. It was good to be able to do that here”.
Sources and more information
BBC News. “Why Is Climate ‘doomism’ Going Viral – and Who’s Fighting It?” May 22, 2022, sec. BBC Trending. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-61495035.
“I Stopped Believing in Environmentalism. And Did This Instead…,” April 28, 2010. https://theecologist.org/2010/apr/28/i-stopped-believing-environmentalism-and-did-instead.
“Paul Kingsnorth: Environmentalists Have Lost Their Way,” December 9, 2009. https://theecologist.org/2009/dec/09/paul-kingsnorth-environmentalists-have-lost-their-way.
“Why Stubborn Optimism | Global Optimism.” Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.globaloptimism.com/why-stubborn-optimism.
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