The Third Layer of Fear
Psychologists call it "anticipatory anxiety."
It's also known as the third layer of fear.
It's a little complicated.
Basically, you're so scared of something you start to avoid anything that has anything remotely to do with the object of your fear. That would be a good way to describe the current discourse around pretty much any serious topic now, including pandemics and climate collapse. Most people are so deeply terrified they don't even want to know what's going on. They get panicked at the mere sight of an air purifier or a mask. Even though we're making progress on that front, this attitude remains entrenched.
If you considered the last year an "oh fuck" moment for everyone with half a brain, you would be right. We crossed the 1.5C threshold. Along with that came record heatwaves, droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires so vast they choked half the U.S. with smoke for most of the summer. For all practical purposes, we're living in a 1.5C world now.
For a growing number of us, it's…