A Matter of Degrees The Only Good Planet
Oct 9, 2025
Dr. Kate Marvel, a NASA climate scientist and author, delves into the intersection of climate science and human emotion. She explores the power of storytelling to connect facts with feelings, emphasizing nine emotions such as wonder, guilt, and hope in her book. Marvel candidly discusses the fossil fuel industry's deception and the grief of witnessing changing landscapes. Highlighting the roles of varied climate helpers, she argues for collective action while emphasizing the importance of love and human agency in shaping our climate futures.
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Models Tell Physics, Not Choices
- Climate models project physical futures but cannot predict human choices or feelings.
- Kate Marvel sends her children into uncertain modeled futures and reflects on that emotional burden.
From Drama To Physics To Climate
- Kate Marvel trained in physics and cosmology before switching to climate science to work on human-centered problems.
- She fell in love with astronomy because it revealed creative, wonder-filled science beyond simple inclined planes.
Facts Need Storytelling To Persuade
- Climate scientists face personal attacks and weaponized uncertainty despite robust evidence.
- Marvel argues stories and emotions are necessary complements to data for meaningful public dialogue.