Oooh, yay! Another big climate fear vs. hope debate. But srsly though, I've been studying climate comms since college ('07, go Tarheels!) and do actually get a weird joy from nerding out on this stuff. Hey, at least someone is thinking about it!
For context, @RoyScranton tweeted this and stirred up a bunch of backlash amongst activists for being a white dude who is newish to the convo pushing nihilism and doomism from his privileged perch. Let's dig into my humble opinions. 
I don't know @RoyScranton or his work. In my brief twitter perusals, it seems he believes that many activists/journalists, etc are doing us a disservice in pushing sunny "we can do this!" solutions narratives that don't fully acknowledge the severity of the climate crisis
I personally don't think his use of nihilistic, doomist, bombastic, and combative language is all that helpful - but honestly, do kind of see what he's getting at (I think?).
Even as a proud climate activist, I often feel many in the climate movement push an inauthentic-feeling, "sunny" solutions narrative that profoundly fails to adequately capture or grapple with the unprecedented emotional, practical, and societal realities of the climate crisis.
We (as in humans) are getting a super weird dichotomy of climate comms right now, ie:
1) All hell is (already) breaking loose and this is scary AF and only going to get worse! Fire! Hurricanes! Mass migration! War!
and...
and...
2) We can do it! Join together! Solar panels! 100%! Happy windmills! Bikes!
And to be honest, as this twitter dude @sjmmcd points out on this thread, most of us - climate activists, journalists, scientists, and other experts alike - don't fully face and internalize the severity of the crisis we're in - at least on a day to day basis.
To some degree, hope it blind and denial is a welcome gift - even for us.
When I do really sit down and ponder the realities of the situation we're in, it is totally overwhelming - and a feeling far, far beyond sad and scary.
I've gone there - for weeks at a time. I've sat in that knowing and despair and acknowledged to myself that humanity - and much of life on earth - might not make it.
Despite all the good intentions and ideas and people out there, we may not figure this out. And in all honesty, the odds are kind of against us.
And then, then I looked around at the insane beauty around me - and my loved ones - and I meditated on the gift of being alive. And the odds and insanity of having this wild experience of life on earth in the first place.
And I got back up and got back to fighting the good fight in hopes that maybe my fighting will allow someone else to see and experience this beauty - this gift - this world - a little longer.
None of us have this figured out. None of us know how to save ourselves or our planet. None of us know how to inspire people to give a damn (or Lord knows we'd have done it a long, long time ago).
Climate change is scary AF. Prob the scariest thing any human has ever faced - and we're all facing it (whether we want to believe it or not).
Despair and fear and frustration - and honestly even denial - are all fairly rational human responses.
This is going to be a looooong journey - our whole lives and those of our children, and God-willing, maybe their children, too.
IMHO, those of us who can muster hope and courage and creativity today need to get up and do our best. And stop attacking those of us who quite rationally feel overwhelmed and scared AF.
At least, they're talking about it. That's a start.
I'd welcome your thoughts (as always): @DoctorVive @reneelertzman @dwallacewells @drvox @EricHolthaus @KHayhoe @maryannehitt @RaptorH and whoever else may be interested in such things. Love to all!
