Why does it matter how we tell stories about the environment?

Solnit asks "Are we missing the big picture of climate change?" and I think we definitely are. There seems to be more concern on human interest than the interest of the ecosystem and natural environment. He says, "To grasp climate change, you have to think in terms of species and their future. To know how things have already changed, you have to remember how they used to be...". This relates to the idea not knowing who you are until you discover where you came from. Therefore, he points out that if we didn't pay attention to species before then we would have no idea about how much they have decline. Thanks to scientific data collection we are able to tell how many birds died due to the 2010 BP Oil Spill. He concludes his article by stating tell we should tell stories that make us alarmed about our conventional energy sources. The birds that died shouldn`t be our only focus, but rather we should think about survival for whole species and the nature of the planet. I think I would have to agree with Solnit about this. Yes these types of story that alarm us are scary but their important to tell because we respond to fear and ultimately take action to protect ourselves. If stories weren`t framed in an alarming manner, I think that everyone would take the topic lightly and follow through with what they do in daily activities. However, I also think that little changes and cut backs won`t do much either. Even though, often enough the media frames the idea of protecting the environment through minor cutbacks.

Lakeoff refers to hypercognition which refers to forms of knowledge, awareness and thought that go beyond the familiar norm. He says that this is something that we are suffering from because human don`t understand that the environment is tied to us greatly. It`s also tied to issue areas such as economics, energy, food, health, trade and security. Ultimately, what he means is that we nothing without nature because it`s our other half. I agree him in saying that little changes are great as mentioned above, but political action is greatly missing. Without this, nothing can be achieved in terms of change. This is where frames come in. Framing is the act, process, or manner in which something is constructed. This refers to how the media communicators use words to activate certain frames and ultimately shape public opinion. This relates to the idea of agenda-setting as media presents what they want the audience to think about and believe. Therefore, how we tell stories about the environment and how it is framed is very important because it shapes our actions. By telling stories through animated films or scaring the public through action films, they are framing the idea of there still being enough time to protect the environment if human activity is changed. Repeated messages and/or frames resonate with people better then if the environment is framed using frames that people aren't familiar with. If they don't understand it then they will ignore it! Therefore, it is important for political action to take place in order to keep this top front of mind and ensure change to save the environment.