The Guardian Changes it's Language to be More 'Environmentally Friendly'

If you were ever in any doubt about where The Guardian stands on Climate, you won't be now

On Friday, The Guardian announced that it was changing the language it uses about the environment to be more factually correct. The outlet updated it's Style Guide - which, thank you very much, is an excellent open guide for anyone looking for correct use of all kinds of words and terms. (You will forthwith notice far tidier writing emanating from the hand of this here writer - soon.)

Back to the point. Instead of “climate change” the preferred terms are “climate emergency, crisis or breakdown” and “global heating” is favoured over “global warming”, although the original terms are not banned. The Guardian editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner said:

“WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BEING SCIENTIFICALLY PRECISE, WHILE ALSO COMMUNICATING CLEARLY WITH READERS ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE. THE PHRASE ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’, FOR EXAMPLE, SOUNDS RATHER PASSIVE AND GENTLE WHEN WHAT SCIENTISTS ARE TALKING ABOUT IS A CATASTROPHE FOR HUMANITY.

INCREASINGLY, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS AND ORGANISATIONS FROM THE UN TO THE MET OFFICE ARE CHANGING THEIR TERMINOLOGY, AND USING STRONGER LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE THE SITUATION WE’RE IN.”

Other terms that have been updated, including the use of “wildlife” rather than “biodiversity”, “fish populations” instead of “fish stocks” and “climate science denier” rather than “climate sceptic”. 

The Guardian points to a range of reasons - in all fairness, it's not as if there aren't plenty of reasons to be clear. The shift is important as legitimises reality and it will lead other commentators to do the same, making the message mainstream. And that's extremely important as it gives give increasing credence to actions, activists and educators all over the world. Like Greta Thunberg, who is surely the Queen of saying it as it is. 

"THE MOMENT WE DECIDE TO FULFIL SOMETHING, WE CAN DO ANYTHING. AND I’M SURE THAT THE MOMENT WE START BEHAVING AS IF WE WERE IN AN EMERGENCY, WE CAN AVOID CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE. HUMANS ARE VERY ADAPTABLE: WE CAN STILL FIX THIS. BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO WILL NOT LAST FOR LONG. WE MUST START TODAY. WE HAVE NO MORE EXCUSES."

That comment was from her speech to UK Parliament, ahead of their declaration of a Climate Emergency, following Scotland and Wales. 

In Australia, the first council to declare a Climate Emergency in was Darebin in Victoria, commencing 2017.

Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? puts the position we are in very clearly with a health metaphor:

“IMAGINE GOING TO A DOCTOR WHO SAYS, ‘IF YOU KEEP EATING LIKE THIS, SOME DAY YOUR CHOLESTEROL WILL BE TOO HIGH. IF YOU’RE LIKE MOST PEOPLE,” HE SAYS, “YOU DON’T CHANGE A THING. BRING ON THE CHEESE.

BUT IF THE DOCTOR SAYS, ‘YOUR CHOLESTEROL IS ALREADY IN THE ZONE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE HEART ATTACKS — IN FACT, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MAY HAVE HAD A MILD STROKE ALREADY' — WELL, THAT’S WHEN YOU SAY, ‘WHAT PILL DO I TAKE?'"

(A note and apology in closing to Katharine Viner from The Guardian, and journalists everywhere. Clearly it takes more than a Style Guide to make a real journalist. It's important to support a mix of good journalism. Don't just read stuff that supports your opinion because it reduces your world view. It's also important to be aware of how you support changemakers, especially on social media, whether their journalism is brilliant or not. They are also a legitimate and rising voice of all people. Just find a balance.)

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