Simple and easy to understand book on climate change

The book ‘Not the Climate, but the Humanity Crisis’ consists of notes on a sustainable and healthy future. It examines the axis of people, planet, economy, and technology. This is from the lens of a communications specialist.

I have included the interview I had with Marketing Türkiye magazine about the book here. This is for those who want to have an idea about the book.

How did the idea of writing the book “Not the Climate, but the Humanity Crisis” come about? What motivated you to write the book?

I didn’t actually set out to write a book. The book became an outcome of my own learning process.

The sustainability agenda focused on economy, people, and planet. It concerns us individuals existentially. It also impacts the current economic system with issues such as cause-effect and transformation.

Humanity is in a difficult situation. On the one hand, our planet is reacting to the endless consumption of its resources. On the other hand, our production and consumption practices have reached an unhealthy point. This is due to the increasing population and the growing desire to consume. Geopolitical problems and economic squeeze exacerbate the issue. There are basic human issues we cannot solve, such as gender equality, humane life, and freedoms. Ignored tragedies in different geographies add to the complexities. Technological developments leverage all of these, for better or worse…

Sustainability might be perceived as a recent fashion concept. However, it is essential for managing these comprehensive interrelated issues. They function as a broad ecosystem. So, it is not just a matter of trees and environmental sensitivity. It is extremely rational and vital for humanity.

With all these dimensions, sustainability is extremely complex and deep. To handle the issue from all aspects, it is necessary to master it in all verticals. Thus, managing it healthily requires reading and researching a lot. That’s how I started. I aim to fulfill the responsibilities I manage in my institution more accurately and effectively. I also want to be aware of my real responsibilities as an individual.

The more complex the subject, the more difficult it is to be understood and accepted by the masses. I attempted to clarify this confusion. I did this by writing in a much simpler and more understandable manner as a communicator. I started sharing these on my own blog. After a period of about 3 years, this book emerged.

As a communications specialist, I aimed to convey the issue from different aspects. I wanted to reach as many people as possible without making academic claims. I aimed to raise awareness by emphasizing that we need to take individual responsibility for these issues. Even small actions matter.

Many books have been written about the climate crisis so far. In what ways does “Humanity Crisis, Not Climate” make a difference?

Within the scope of sustainability, regardless of environmental, economic or social problems, people are at the center of them. The basic vital issues that humanity is experiencing today are also human-related. Until now, people have determined everything with their choices. From now it is happening like this.

The book basically says this. We talk about the economy, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. We also discuss wildfires, global warming, and environmental problems. Gender equality and fundamental freedoms are included too. However, we can overlook that it is humanity that enabled us to reach this point. Or that we need to take responsibility as individuals in the face of all these big problems.

The book tries to put forward a basic perspective on all these points. While looking at the issues, it highlights basic human values such as morality and virtue. Conscience and justice also surface, as these values seem to remain in the background today. If we are pursuing a healthier and more livable world; This should of course be for all humanity, not just for a select group.

Scientists have now fulfilled their responsibilities regarding the sustainability agenda clearly laid out with data. The point now is for the masses to begin the necessary transformation journey in the light of this scientific data. I think marketing and communication need to come into play for this.

We have the skills and tools to create behavioral change through insights. So, why don’t we use them to create a healthier and better world? In this way, it is our responsibility to create persuasion processes and provide platforms that will trigger transformation in the masses. We must do work that creates real benefit for this transformation in our own sphere of influence. This includes changing the way of doing business. It’s not just about making striking commercials! On the back end, it’s a matter of changing all processes accordingly in a sincere and clear way.

You say the book has a “positive” approach to sustainability? What does it mean?

There is no benefit in making disaster calls. Or underestimating the power of the individual.

In the process that starts with awareness and develops with knowledge, individuals have a great impact on all these issues. We need to explain how individuals who see the issue as bigger than themselves can create a big impact with small actions. This will turn everyone into ambassadors of transformation in this regard.

This is my aim too. I think that the steps we will take, even if small, are very valuable on this path. Along with their own transformation, individuals also affect their environment. They even influence brands, governments, institutions, and organizations. This influence has the power to create pressure against them. Instead of ignoring this, when we act with this awareness, every step we take will grow and create a collective impact.

Therefore, yes, the book has a positive approach to this difficult crisis environment. We gain no benefit by watching without doing anything. Complaining is not beneficial either. Waiting for the solution from someone else is fruitless. Therefore, taking action, even with small steps, will both prevent eco-anxiety and these concrete steps will grow and turn into real benefits.

You interpret the climate crisis as a humanitarian crisis. Could you elaborate on the insight behind this statement?

As I said, human choices are behind every problem we experience today. Therefore, whatever you call it an economic, social or environmental crisis, what is happening is actually a humanitarian crisis.

This is even more obvious for climate. Man learned to live in balance with nature over the centuries. However, he turned this relationship into an endless resource with the industrial revolution. This shift was to his advantage to satisfy his insatiable hunger for consumption. The balanced relationship was shaken to its foundations. Nature has shifted from being clear and consistent to giving more unpredictable reactions. It demonstrated this with unprecedented temperatures, fires, floods and droughts.

Climate change is a very serious crisis that humans have created through their production and consumption practices, and whose consequences cannot be fully predicted even today. It will not be our 4.5 billion-year-old world that will be sharply affected by this, but humanity itself. Human beings, who are not rational beings, still have difficulty understanding and accepting these issues today. Our planet is not dying, it’s about man himself and his vital problems.

A sustainable, healthy world is not limited to the relationship between nature and humans. It is also closely related to the relationships between people. Issues such as economy, basic human rights, humane life, gender equality and justice are vital issues for a sustainable future. Therefore, we should not overlook such fundamental issues that humanity has created and become ossified.

Undoubtedly, the climate crisis is one of the first agenda items of the communication sector. However, we also see that many companies approach the issue only within the framework of “communication”. At this point, what do you think are the duties of communicators? What would be your suggestions for a correct communication process?

This issue should no longer be a periodically discriminatory marketing and communication tool for brands. Because in this state, the concept is emptied and its importance is put in the background.

At a point where companies do not provide a real transformation with all their processes, they fail to make true progress. They only come up with ‘pretend’ work. This causes the already complex issue to become dishwater or to be perceived as shallow. However, the issue is not to be taken lightly or to create instant fake shine for brands.

So, what should be done? Communication is critical to internalizing climate change. Communicators can help create ways to voice, name, process emotions about climate change, and integrate them into daily life. It can provide the collective awareness and consciousness required for individual, social and political transformation and trigger action. It can package the frightening reality of science with insight in a way that bypasses defense mechanisms and present it to people.

Therefore, the power of communication should no longer be used for manipulation (greenwashing), but for truly transformative action. Of course, it will have an impact not only on the masses but also on policy makers; inviting, inclusive and full of emotion, purpose and meaning…

The communication world needs to act with this heavy and serious responsibility.

Many sources on the subject describe the problem, but it is now clear that steps must be taken towards a solution. What are your solution suggestions?

The solution lies with us, individuals!

Don’t pay attention to those who say how small our individual impact will be. They claim that states and institutions should be the ones who need to take real precautions. We must remember that individuals trigger the good or bad actions taken by huge companies. These companies and governments work with short-term agendas. Our individual demands are at the heart of this.

There is a dark picture before us. But this is an important reason for us to hold tighter to all our responsibilities.

It’s not just about our children’s future. All these problems we are talking about are exactly today’s issues. That’s why we need to take action. Everything starts from the individual and the family. The individual steps we take will have a transformative effect on our environment.

Each individual step contributes to a common sensitivity and awareness. It does this by setting aside the bright hypocrisy behind which humanity hides. Even if they start small, the efforts will grow together. Its effect will become stronger. If we do not do this, much more difficult days await both us and our children…

---

To have the book:

https://yeniinsanyayinevi.com/kitaplarimiz/iklim-degil-insanlik-krizi/

https://www.kitapyurdu.com/kitap/iklim-degil-insanlik-krizi/663111.html

https://www.trendyol.com/yeni-insan-yayinevi/iklim-degil-insanlik-krizi-p-773834877