Pessimism, optimism, pt 2


After hearing the latest news about the increasing rate of Arctic melt, Bibi van der Zee burst into tears.  She wonders whether it’s time to give up. Conventional social wisdom says that bad news does not make people act. Maybe she’s an example of that.

The current poll question on the RSA Arts & Ecology page, posed by Gemma Lloyd,  is, Are apocalyptic facts more effective in motivating people to change than positive messages? As it stands, the voting is Yes 52%, No 40% and undecided 8%.

Photo: Museo Aero Solar, by Tomas Saraceno, as mentioned by matthew here. A more heart-lifting artistic act of collective intervention.

Go to RSA Arts & Ecology Blog