Can climate change be humorous? Erb Institute hosts climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith to discuss fear, hope and action

Hundreds of Ann Arbor community members, University of Michigan students and faculty gathered at Robertson Auditorium Thursday evening for a comedy show by British comedian Stuart Goldsmith about climate change hosted in collaboration with the Erb Institute. The Erb Institute is a partnership between the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability, with a goal of using business to promote sustainability.

Goldsmith is a stand-up comedian who performs globally to raise awareness for the climate crisis and create hope around climate anxiety. This performance highlighted issues such as fast fashion, inefficiencies in raising cattle and the environmental impact of artificial intelligence. 

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Carmen Quinonez, Erb Institute director of programs, said the event’s goal was to encourage a sense of community and hope during a time when the weight of solving climate change is heavy. 

“I think folks who work to mitigate climate change and who are focused on climate — it can be very serious and often feel like you have a responsibility to save the world,” Quinonez said. “I think one of our goals with bringing Stuart in is to just remind us all that we’re also not alone in fighting climate change.”

Goldsmith opened his discussion about climate change by acknowledging hypocrisy that exists within the field, referencing how he flies around the world to perform.

“I’ve got a number of things on my mind, and one of them in particular is hypocrisy,” Goldsmith said. “I know a lot of you will be really waiting for the moment when I get stuck into how a climate comedian can have flown across the Atlantic to talk about the climate crisis. That’s certainly bad, but I think it’s better than flying across the Atlantic and not talking about the climate crisis, like many of you would have done.” 

Goldsmith said that he doesn’t want people to feel guilty, as it is unrealistic and gives power to the companies that are polluting. 

“I don’t think you can guilt people,” Goldsmith said. “If we all wait until we lead a perfectly guilt-free, carbon-free life before we dare to have an opinion on the climate crisis, this is called the purity test; the idea that you don’t deserve a voice unless you’re perfect. I think that’s nonsense, and it plays into the hands of the polluters.”

Goldsmith then discussed the harmful impacts of consuming beef on the environment. He suggested that everyone should be vegan, while joking that he would never do it.

“We need you to be vegan,” Goldsmith said. “Everyone has to be vegan. We know that. We know that we have to be vegan. We know what an impact they can make on the climate. We know that we have to be vegan. I’m not, f— that, but you should be.”

After audience laughter calmed down, he said limiting beef consumption is an alternative to fully committing to veganism. 

“If you can get someone just to switch from beef to pork — not even vegan, not even vegetarian, just switch from beef to pork — you can reduce their food emissions by 20%. And you know what that means? If I can get just five of you to switch from beef to pork, then I don’t have to be vegan.”

In an interview with The Daily, Rackham student Ainsley Logar said she thinks Goldsmith’s performance was a good way to increase climate awareness, even for people who are not as passionate. 

“I think it’s a good way to reach people who might not be as interested or passionate — I think he used the term complacent — in the climate crisis,” Logar said. “I think it’s an accessibility thing: draw people in, feed them a little bit of information, get them interested.” 

Quinonez said events like this one are important ways to bring people together in the midst of a stressful political climate. 

“From talking to students, I do think students need laughter right now,” Quinonez said. “It is a really dark time. It can feel like a really dark time in our country. I think it is a reminder to find joy and to be in community together is important.”

Daily Staff Reporter Savannah Halpern can be reached at savhal@umich.edu.