How We're Solving Climate Change Wrong

How We're Solving Climate Change Wrong

Nuseir Yassin is an Israeli-American digital creator. He publishes videos to social media platforms under the name Nas Daily, covering incredible people and important issues. A popular video on his YouTube channel tells a story of when he went to McDonald's. An employee informed him that they didn't have plastic straws, a sensible move that companies have taken to better their impacts on the environment. However, Nuseir noticed that he was drinking from a plastic cup, and the utensils were plastic. Additionally, McDonald's serves meat, which is terrible for the environment, begging the question, "Why does McDonald's care about straws, but not cups, utensils, or the food they serve.

What is selective empathy?

This post isn't about McDonald's. It's about selective empathy, something we are all guilty of. Here's an example of selective empathy: people feel sad when a celebrity dies tragically but not when thousands of people are killed. The video said, "A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic." This is a sad reality that is hardwired into our brains and psychology.

How it applies to climate change

Selective empathy applies to climate change as well. We as individuals, along with our society as a whole, prioritize the wrong things. We're more focused on plastic straws than major drivers of climate change. We all fall victim to this issue, but recognizing this is a huge step in addressing the climate crisis.