Alan Hall writing in Ad Age thinks we need a new name for climate change. That’s because we are so used to it, it no longer inspires us to take action. Alan creates names for products, companies, and services. Hence we thought his ideas on re-naming climate change deserved their own post.
Non-Scientific Reasons for Re-Naming Climate Change
Alan thinks scientific terms like ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ don’t always resonate in meaningful ways. For example ‘hypothesis of the primeval atom’ hardly created a stir, while ‘big bang’ triggered a new culture.
Politicians seeking to influence opinion are more likely to speak of dramatic climate change, rather than gradual global warming. However, neither term seems to create a powerful case for action. Alan approached the challenge of re-naming climate change according to industry standards he knows well. He first defined the audience and the message. Then, when he thought how far this would have to travel he consulted professional namers and re-namers around the world.
The Re-Naming Team’s Short-List Suggestions for Themes
This consultation provided a number of possible overarching themes for re-naming climate change. The top three were ‘climate change, climate chaos’, ‘boiling point, melting point’, and ‘scorched earth’. ‘Emission critical’, ‘planet critical’, pre-extinction’, ‘great collapse’, and earthshattering’ all received honorable mentions. If these make you nervous, Alan’s system is working.
Whatever we eventually call it, he says, impending climate doom is upon us if we don’t act quickly. Many people have not taken any action, because their leaders are sluggish or ill-informed. The final trump could be upon us unless we force our leaders to take a stronger lead.
The Romans used to sound a series of trumpet calls at the end of battles. This ‘last trump’ told their soldiers the fighting was over and it was time for them to go home. We cannot afford to take off the pressure. Either humanity outwits climate chaos, or our time on Earth could be cut short, we fear.
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