When Alena Wood started posting on TikTok in 2020, her videos were mostly about weird things about her “historic” apartment, such as leak and door problems. Eventually, Wood, a climate communicator and sustainability scientist, began seeing videos of consumers expressing guilt and hopelessness about climate change.
Climate change news can be scary. Wood also felt the warmth and anxiety, but when she saw how widespread this feeling was on the platform, she wanted to let people know that there were solutions – it’s not too late. Wood, @thegarbagequeen, already has more than 300,000 TikTok subscribers and publishes videos ranging from debunking climate doom, highlighting new research and reports, and even sharing his own experiences.
She talked to On the edge about the virality of ‘climate doom’, TikTok, and the importance of being practical when it comes to change.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
What brought you to TikTok as a platform to talk about climate communication?
I downloaded TikTok at the beginning of the pandemic because I was bored with my mind. I had a lot of free time in my hands. I never thought I would talk about climate change. In fact, the first few videos I posted were about weird things. I started seeing environmental videos appear on my About You page, many of which weren’t quite true. They were somewhat science-based or made people feel guilty that they couldn’t do more. I made my first video on the environment in May 2020, saying why I no longer consider myself a zero waste. From there, I began to build a community of other people who discuss climate change in the environment, and I realized that people want to hear about it.
It is interesting that you mention the video with zero waste. I remember seeing a special video. You talked about a woman who says she will stop buying bananas, and you concluded that people should “give their best” when it comes to zero waste and food sustainability. Can you tell me more about that?
I am for practical things. I live in an area that does not have access to many of the things that you will see that the creators of sustainable development have access to online. I remember feeling guilty in college and experiencing low waste, zero waste, resilience for the first time, and I felt bad that I couldn’t do more. The way I deal with this in my personal life – which I also encourage people to do online – is just to change the things in your life that you communicate with often – don’t try to change your whole lifestyle at once.
For example, I drive a lot and I can’t use public transport (there are two bus lines and they don’t go anywhere I live). I’m just trying to drive more economically, without speeding up or slowing down if I can avoid it, and setting up cruise control when I’m on the highway – little things like that. The average person can’t just go out and buy a new electric vehicle. They are expensive. I still have a gas car. So for me, it’s just finding little tiny ways to make your life a little more sustainable. This will help and people should not feel guilty if they “can’t do it anymore”.
Ultimately, yes, we as individuals need to make a change, but so do corporations and governments. Unless corporations and governments start making big changes, we as individuals cannot make those changes so easily.
Another series you do is called Climate News. How did this start?
Last summer, I saw scientists say it was not too late to resolve the climate crisis, and people said, “I don’t hear anything positive. What is changing? I don’t hear anything. ” So I did a Google search and looked at various news sources and made a video about it. It exploded so much and people said they wanted more, so I made another version. From there, people wanted a show, so now I do it once a week.
Some of your videos focus on debunking climate doom, both on and off the platform. Why do you think it is important to integrate it into your content?
Ever since I first started [in May 2020]I didn’t even know anything about climate doom until last summer, when I started noticing that all these videos were going viral, mostly to Bo Burnham’s songs from Insideand I said to myself, “Wait, that’s not true.” People think that the world will end in 10 or 15 years and we will all be without food and all things will disappear.
People are afraid of climate change, but on top of that I noticed a reaction that was an environmental concern. Even beyond that, eco-induced panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and people who don’t want a future at all because they see the climate and think it’s the truth. I feel it is my duty as a climate scientist and communicator to make sure that the most accurate information comes out there, especially when inaccurate information affects people’s mental health. I suffer from environmental anxiety, so I can understand how people feel when they experience climate doom, but most of all I am disappointed. Climate doom is what people see. It goes viral and [the message] it seems never it’s not too late or here are some climate solutionsbut fear becomes viral with almost everything.
What kind of feedback did you get from the audience?
I receive a lot of comments and messages on a weekly basis informing me that they are attending a city council meeting or have taken a book on climate concern or thanked me for understanding that they have climate concerns.
I also receive constructive feedback from my audience, asking if I can speak on a topic. If I’m talking about a climate solution, they ask if the solution can be extended or feasible, and I like it. I like TikTok because it’s an open dialogue where they can ask me questions. I want to have more one-on-one conversations.