{"id":1576,"date":"2021-06-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/clearing-the-air\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T21:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:49:38","slug":"clearing-the-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/clearing-the-air\/","title":{"rendered":"Clearing the Air"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                                    \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3502-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3502-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Clearing the Air\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  In which the author searches for a path away from climate change pessimism to viable solutions. (Illustrations: Anne Laval for USC Dornsife Magazine.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=faculty\">Faculty<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Clearing the Air<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  As the climate crisis escalates, USC Dornsife experts are studying ways to quickly enact positive change and find a path to greener days.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Darrin S. Joy<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">June 28, 2021<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>I believe it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a pessimist by nature, and a year of pandemic living hasn\u2019t improved my disposition, but even taking those factors into account, I don\u2019t feel I\u2019m overestimating the threat. I think we\u2019re all but doomed, effectively exterminating ourselves and countless other species by making Earth\u2019s climate \u2014\u00a0<i>our<\/i>\u00a0climate \u2014 increasingly unlivable.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve held this view since long before Jonathan Franzen penned his provocative, fatalistic\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/cultural-comment\/what-if-we-stopped-pretending\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>New Yorker<\/i>\u00a0essay<\/a>\u00a0in 2019 \u2014 and for many of the same basic reasons. Human beings don\u2019t change until the pain of not doing so becomes too great to remain complacent. Instead, we plug along, blinders firmly affixed, ignoring the ruin we leave in our wake. By the time we react strongly enough to curtail climate change, the snowball (ironic metaphor, I know) will have gained too much momentum to be stopped. And in fact, it may already be unstoppable.<\/p>\n<p>But Franzen had plenty of detractors arguing against his assertions \u2014 and so do I. People I work with at USC Dornsife, in fact. Scholars who, while willing to listen to us cynics and acknowledge some validity to our despair, aren\u2019t about to succumb to hopelessness.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, they\u2019re looking for practical solutions \u2014 ways of working with human nature rather than bucking it, so politicians, business leaders, policymakers and everyday people find it easier to act in ways that will save us from ourselves.<\/p>\n<h2>TO DECIDE OR NOT TO DECIDE<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/psyc\/psyc_faculty_display.cfm?person_id=1097731\">Joe \u00c1rvai<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/3365\/new-sustainability-leader\/\">came to USC Dornsife<\/a>\u00a0in late 2020 to lead the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/wrigley\/\">USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies<\/a>\u00a0as its director \u2014 with an academic appointment as Dana and David Dornsife Chair and professor of psychology.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c1rvai specializes in risk analysis and decision-making, studying why people make the decisions they do and how they can make better ones. He also has an oceanography background and a passion for seeking solutions to the mounting climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Hiring a Wrigley Institute director with a strong background in a social science like psychology rather than one steeped solely in the natural sciences, like biology or environmental sciences, is strategic. It\u2019s part of USC Dornsife\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/amber-miller\/\">Dean Amber D. Miller<\/a>\u2019s vision of expanding research that addresses the human side of the climate crisis to find ways to incentivize us to speed the development and adoption of beneficial policies and solutions.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cAt the Wrigley Institute, we want to help educate the next generation of change agents working on the environment and sustainability.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00c1rvai and I meet for the first time through the magic of Zoom, and as I confess to him my cynical resignation to the horrors that await us all, \u00c1rvai sighs, head in hand. He\u2019s heard it all before.<\/p>\n<p>Then he begins to show me the error of my ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think there are a few things that we need to realize. One is the fact that not doing something is a decision; we\u2019ve made a decision to not act,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, to just bury our heads in the sand and proceed by not taking action, that\u2019s not passive in any way, shape or form. We are actually making choices to\u00a0<i>not<\/i>\u00a0do those things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ouch.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is my cynicism not helping, it\u2019s poor decision-making that actually may be making things worse.<\/p>\n<p>But then he generously lets me off the hook, at least a little. Making thoughtful, evidence-based decisions is hard, he says. After working for the past couple of decades with everyone from individual consumers to policymakers and from local government to the White House, he knows that decision-making doesn\u2019t come naturally.<\/p>\n<p>And one important decision-making skill is the ability to put options in context, and to see each decision as part of a continuum. Each decision leads to changes that, in turn, make future new decisions necessary. These future decisions also lead to changes that call for more decisions, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing to install\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/2309\/solar-energy-system-up-and-running-at-uscs-catalina-island-facil\/\">solar panels on your roof<\/a>\u00a0may help reduce your carbon footprint and lower your electric bill, but that means less traditional revenue for the utility company, which may then need to make decisions about their investments in future technologies such as advanced renewables or carbon capture. These decisions by utilities then create feedbacks that affect consumers of the future.<\/p>\n<p>Making good decisions means trying to predict the potential consequences of options down the road, learning from what actually happens, and then teeing up the next round of decisions, says \u00c1rvai.<\/p>\n<p>Now that he\u2019s at USC Dornsife, it\u2019s these expanded decision-making skills and how they affect approaches to the climate crisis that \u00c1rvai is working to understand and improve, particularly among students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the Wrigley Institute, we want to help educate the next generation of change agents working on the environment and sustainability. We need to start imparting new kinds of analytic skills so that when these students eventually become the CEO of Microsoft or Ford Motors or governor or mayor, they\u2019re working from a more modernized curriculum that teaches what it means to be effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>TELL ME A TALE<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>But making smart, defensible decisions isn\u2019t just about analysing data. Part of the challenge in implementing lifesaving decisions is in how we think, \u00c1rvai says. It\u2019s in the balance \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 between analysis and emotion. Often discussions of climate change deteriorate when emotions run too high, but sliding too deep into analysis may be just as big a problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think a lot of our communications about climate change \u2014 communications that are meant to motivate people \u2014 fail because they\u2019re too rich in statistics,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re too much of a numbers game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is where a healthy dose of insight from the humanities and fine arts can help. By putting decisions in context and presenting information that balances decision-makers\u2019 emotional and analytical needs, artists, filmmakers, writers and other storytellers can help them more effectively evaluate the potential risks and benefits of their choices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the end of the day, we\u2019re trying to get people to think in a more comprehensive way about alternatives, alternative pathways, alternative policies, different things you could do as an individual, as a consumer, as a policymaker or leader,\u201d \u00c1rvai says. \u201cWe need chemists and physicists and ecologists and psychologists and sociologists to work with artists and painters and writers to create that context.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about building a system in which we recognize that we are all contributing to decisions we make as a society,\u201d he adds \u2014 and ultimately working together to avoid disaster.<\/p>\n<h2>KEEP IT SIMPLE, SIR<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Findings from a study coordinated by USC Dornsife\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/publicexchange.usc.edu\/\">Public Exchange<\/a>\u00a0in collaboration with the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/unfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">United Nations Foundation<\/a>\u00a0jibe with \u00c1rvai\u2019s point about leaning too much on the analytical side of the brain.<\/p>\n<p>Led by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/healthpolicy.usc.edu\/author\/wandi-bruine-de-bruin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">W\u00e4ndi Bruine de Bruin<\/a>, Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science at USC Dornsife and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/healthpolicy.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics<\/a>, the study examined how well people understood particular words used in public reports issued by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change<\/a> (IPCC).<\/p>\n<p>Bruine de Bruin is herself a noted expert in the psychology of decision-making. (She and \u00c1rvai have known each other for years.) She says that simplifying information can help make decisions easier, which is one reason Public Exchange and the UN Foundation initiated the research.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"news-image-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/CleraingTheAir_InStoryA-3502.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For the study, climate scientists selected the most important words in their communications. Their list of eight terms includes \u201cmitigation,\u201d \u201ccarbon neutral,\u201d \u201cunprecedented transition,\u201d \u201ctipping point,\u201d \u201csustainable development,\u201d \u201ccarbon dioxide removal,\u201d \u201cadaptation\u201d and \u201cabrupt change.\u201d The researchers then asked a group of participants with widely varying views on climate change to interpret the words.<\/p>\n<p>Even among seemingly ordinary terms, study participants struggled to understand what the words meant in the context of climate change, according to Bruine de Bruin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven \u2018adaptation\u2019 and \u2018mitigation,\u2019 which are among the most commonly used words by climate scientists, are not widely recognized,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Bruine de Bruin attributes the confusion to the propensity for people to borrow word meanings from more familiar contexts, especially if they aren\u2019t quite sure of the meaning as it relates to climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo for \u2018adaptation,\u2019 people think of adapting a book into a movie,\u201d she explains. \u201cFor \u2018mitigation,\u2019 people confuse it with \u2018mediation,\u2019 like resolving a conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Add more nuanced terms and the confusion mounts. \u201c\u2018Abrupt change\u2019 to climate scientists means climate systems changing over the course of centuries,\u201d Bruine de Bruin says. \u201cTo a lay person, that\u2019s not abrupt. And so that only makes it more confusing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer, she says, lies in providing more explanation or choosing words more carefully, so there\u2019s no misunderstanding.<\/p>\n<p>Bruine de Bruin says similar principles apply to visual communication, such as graphs and charts.<\/p>\n<p>First, put less information in them, she says. Avoid trying to say too much at once.<\/p>\n<p>Also, be upfront and clear. \u201cUsing the title to communicate the key message can be really helpful,\u201d she adds. Rather than a vague title like \u201cThe Effect of Rainfall on Corn,\u201d try something declarative: \u201cMore Rain Makes Corn Grow Taller.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But even if communication is clearer, will it really change behavior? Bruine de Bruin thinks it\u2019s a key part of the mix.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInformation alone does not necessarily change behavior, but having clear information is important,\u201d she says. Policymakers, for instance, need to be able to understand and justify their decisions. \u201cIf they don\u2019t understand the explanation, then they\u2019re not going to be willing to change the policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>GETTING CHARGED UP<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>But when they do understand, policymakers may opt to enact vital change. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for example, faced with the clear evidence that gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles contribute more than half of the state\u2019s carbon pollution, signed an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2020\/09\/23\/governor-newsom-announces-california-will-phase-out-gasoline-powered-cars-drastically-reduce-demand-for-fossil-fuel-in-californias-fight-against-climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">executive order<\/a>\u00a0mandating that all new vehicles sold in the state meet zero-emissions standards by 2035. In practical terms, that mostly means turning to electric vehicles (EVs).<\/p>\n<p>But this mandate, as \u00c1rvai\u2019s perspective on decision-making suggests, gives rise to other issues, including an important question: As California \u2014 and the world \u2014 make the transition to EVs, how can they position themselves to get the biggest bang for the buck?<\/p>\n<p>USC Dornsife\u2019s Public Exchange is tackling that question. Public Exchange pairs academic researchers and scholars with public- and private-sector partners to identify, analyze and solve intractable problems. In this case, Public Exchange enlisted USC Dornsife economists to examine industrial policies and regulations to determine how the L.A. region can benefit as much economically as it will environmentally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re providing the quantitative analysis to say, you can spend your money in a lot of different places, but here\u2019s what\u2019s going to bring the biggest return to [gross domestic product] and regional growth,\u201d explains USC Dornsife\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/kate-weber\/\">Kate Weber<\/a>, executive director of the Academy in the Public Square and director of Public Exchange.<\/p>\n<p>Their work suggests the benefits of moving to EVs may extend beyond cleaner air, that investing in electric vehicles not only won\u2019t ruin the economy, but may actually boost it. After all, someone needs to manufacture the batteries or install and operate charging stations, and there\u2019s plenty of room for innovation in vehicle technology and efficiency, to name just a few opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>California has been an important leader in the transition to electrified mobility. If the nation\u2019s largest economy can not only survive, but thrive in the transition to greener practices, it will send a powerful signal that what is good for the environment is also good for the economy. And that\u2019s a beacon the other 49 states are bound to follow. \u201cAs California goes, so goes the nation,\u201d after all.<\/p>\n<h2>A NEW DAY DAWNING?<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>News like this is almost enough to make me drop my pessimism altogether. Indeed, it\u2019s hard to remain completely cynical after speaking with people like \u00c1rvai, Bruine de Bruin and Weber.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not that they\u2019re extreme optimists. Quite the opposite, actually. It\u2019s their sensible, reasoned approach to climate crisis issues \u2014 an approach blending research and know-how from disparate disciplines \u2014 that engenders more than a little confidence that there remains, at the very least, a good possibility of avoiding disaster.<\/p>\n<p>I still ache knowing that the future will be tough, especially for coming generations. But as I watch the sun rise on another beautiful spring morning, I realize my sense of futility has to some degree faded. In its place grows a feeling of accountability. Each of us has a part \u2014 a responsibility \u2014 to do what we can, no matter how small.<\/p>\n<p>As Wrigley Institute director \u00c1rvai says:\u00a0\u201cWe know that we\u2019re not going to solve the problem on our own, or today. But we\u2019re at least contributing to viable, game-changing solutions we can implement tomorrow and the day after. And, importantly, we hope that others will, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/great-salt-lake-ancient-past-reveals-how-quickly-fresh-water-can-disappear\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Great Salt Lake\u2019s ancient past reveals how quickly fresh water can disappear<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-national-climate-assessment-is-broken-matthew-wielicki-as-lead-wont-help\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >The National Climate Assessment is broken \u2013 appointing Matthew Wielicki to lead it won\u2019t\u00a0help<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/shade-la-winning-design-giving-shade-for-metro-during-world-cup\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Student-designed shade structure debuts at Metro station ahead of World Cup 2026<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the climate crisis escalates, USC Dornsife experts are studying ways to quickly enact positive change and find a path to greener days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,24,15],"tags":[70,66,112,80,145],"class_list":["post-1576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","category-social-impact","category-sustainability","tag-academy-in-the-public-square","tag-climate-change","tag-psychology","tag-public-exchange","tag-wrigley-institute-for-environmental-studies"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Clearing the Air<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the climate crisis escalates, USC Dornsife experts are studying ways to quickly enact positive change and find a path to greener days.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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