Global Quickening is Better.
Global Quickening" can be considered a more effective phrase than "climate change" for several reasons:
Sense of Urgency: "Quickening" implies acceleration and immediacy, suggesting that the changes are happening rapidly and require prompt action. This can motivate people to respond more urgently compared to the more neutral-sounding "change."
Personal Impact: The phrase "global quickening" conveys a dynamic and possibly alarming shift that might make people think about how these rapid changes will affect their own lives directly.
Emotional Engagement: "Quickening" has a dramatic connotation that can evoke stronger emotional responses, which is often more persuasive in galvanizing public and political will.
Rhetorical Impact: As you mentioned, rhetoric is the art of persuasion. "Global quickening" is a fresh and impactful term that can cut through the noise and capture attention more effectively than "climate change," which has become somewhat normalized and may not evoke the same level of concern.
Clear Consequences: The term implies not just change, but potentially destabilizing and rapid shifts, which can make the consequences seem more immediate and tangible.
However, it’s also important to consider that while "global quickening" might resonate more in some contexts, widespread recognition and understanding of "climate change" mean that the transition to new terminology would require significant effort in education and communication to ensure the message is clearly understood.