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Can Language Impact Climate Change?

February 17, 2022


Since the emergence of ecolinguistics in the 1970s, a variety of new terms have evolved in languages worldwide. As a necessity for discussions involving the ecological crisis faced by different cultures continues to grow, the field of ecolinguistics will help to define the ongoing ecological crisis characterized by the time period in which humans have affected the Earth’s climate. In a positive sense, ecolinguistics enables humanity to build a more ecologically-sound civilization where humans satisfy their physical needs as well as the needs of the planet. Moreover, ecolinguistics can guide all of us to find meaning in life in ways that protect the very ecosystems that life depends upon.

The long-term heating of the Earth’s climate system has been observed since pre-industrial periods of the mid-19th century. Since that time, human activities have increased the planet’s average temperature by about 1 degree Celsius or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. It also is unequivocal that human influence has continued to warm the atmosphere, oceans, and land masses by two-tenths of a degree Celsius every decade. Unfortunately, the changes in temperature have had a broad range of observed effects on weather patterns, such as El Niño, La Niña, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. However, for as long as scientists have observed the changes caused by human activity, many industrialized cultures are still trapped in climate denial.

Important Ecolinguistic Definitions

As our climate continues to change and change continues to affect the world we live in, language will continue to adapt. New words will be created to explain the biological, ecological, and psychological effects that encompass any and all threatening conditions. Listed below are terms (according to Dictionary.Com) that have evolved from modern-day discussions about us and our ecology:

  • Global Warming – an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that caused corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.
  • Climate Change – a long-term change in the earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. For example, melting glaciers imply that life in the Artic is affected by climate change.
  • Holocene – the epoch of time in which humankind has affected the Earth’s climate through consumption of resources.
  • Anthropogenic – is the change caused or produced by humans. According to scientific consensus, the alarming of rate of climate change on earth today is considered to be anthropogenic.
  • Greenhouse Effect – an atmospheric heating phenomenon caused by radiation transmitted inward through the earth’s atmosphere and the heat radiation less readily transmitted outward.
  • Biodiversity – is the diversity among and within plant and animal species found in an environment. Changes in climate have a negative effect on biodiversity that is necessary to maintain a healthy environment.
  • Sea Level Rise – is the relative change in the global sea level or horizontal plane to the surface of the sea between high and low tide. Scientist trace sea level rise to climate change due to melting ice sheets and thermal expansion.
  • Climate Justice – is a term used by the United Nations that frames climate change as a social and political issue rather than just an environmental concern.
  • Climate Overshoot – is the period of time in which global temperatures exceed a 1.5-degree Celsius increase and then cools back down below that amount causing flooding and wildfires.

Scientific research suggests that the climate change we experience today could directly lead to a mass extinction event where a large number of species within a relatively short period of geological time could become extinct due to catastrophic environmental events. The Paris Agreement, also called the Paris Accord, is an international treaty where industrialized nations have agreed to the goal of limiting climate change to 1.5-degrees Celsius as well as to help less-developed countries through financial and technological support.

The Heartbreaking Reality for Climate Refugees

According to a recent article in the Yale Climate Connections, the World Bank estimates that by 2050, some 216 million people will be compelled to move because of the effects of climate change. Although changes in climate have long been seen in the geological records, it is the rapid rate and the magnitude of climate events that are occurring right now that is of great concern to ecolinguists. From sea level rise and storm surges to desertification and extreme heat, climate refugees soon may need to migrate from many of the small island nations and low-lying deserts located in the southern regions of the planet. Moreover, ecolinguists face an extreme challenge in capturing the language of such climate change as well as the impact that such a major migration of people will have on the loss of languages and cultures.  

The role of ecolinguistics going forward will be one of duty and responsibility to ensure the Earth's inhabitants exercise environmental guardianship, resource management, and global stewardship of the planet. If your organization needs to communicate with global cultures, contact ProLingo at 800-287-9755 for the most accurate and precise translations and interpretations.

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