ABSTRACT
How do we understand and act on the scale of the global climate? How can humans even grapple with the vast consequences of our collective action? Based in qualitative, ethnographic research with climate change NGOs, this chapter explores insights about understanding and acting on global climate change from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and related fields like anthropology and social movement studies. I first consider STS insights about scientific and social construction of global anthropogenic climate change, which help us understand both the challenges of climate change and the work of expert activists to shape the space of climate science and politics. I then turn to the ethnographic field research more directly, focusing on one climate movement NGO called Climate Interactive, whose simple, instant climate system dynamics models and open-access, experience-based games and workshops endeavor to teach people to learn for themselves about climate change—and inspire them to act on it. I provide ethnographic analysis and a narrative anecdote, before concluding by considering the insights STS and expert activists offer for rethinking climate change and crafting alternative futures.
