THERE ARE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE BUT . . . . .
Climate Change is a huge topic today. People certainly have different opinions about whether Climate Change is real and/or whether humans have anything to do with it. But most scientists support the theory that humans have caused the climate to change. In fact, there is little debate among scientists. Studies have indicated that more than 90% of all the scientists who study Earth’s climate agree and so do major scientific organizations like The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) and the World Meteorological Organization (“WMO”). More specifically, humans have changed and continue to change Earth's natural greenhouse effect by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil which puts more carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere and warms the planet. NASA has observed increases in the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. As we have seen, too much of these greenhouse gases can cause Earth's atmosphere to trap more and more heat that warms up the Earth a lot faster than it should. [Please read our section “What is Climate Change?” for greater detail]. Under this theory, global temperatures will continue rising, and rising temperatures will increase the frequency of extreme weather events like hurricanes, droughts, floods, fires, and more acidic oceans.
But many scientists and members of the public do not agree with or are at least skeptical about the theory that humans are responsible for Climate Change, for different reasons. People may flat out believe human-caused climate change does not exist or is fake news fabricated by “Woke” alarmists. People may believe climate change is a normal and naturally occurring event because Earth’s climate has changed many times before. People believe that living creatures including humans will adapt to the changes in climate, so it will not be such a disaster. Some in the public maintain there is no consensus among scientists on Climate Change, so whether it is real or not is still up for discussion. Disbelieving scientists maintain that the data used in projections for increasing ocean temperatures and the magnitude of sea level rise is wrong, incomplete, or exaggerated. Some scientists maintain that more accurate readings of the earth’s surface temperatures indicate global climate warming over the next few decades will be moderate. There are also many people who believe trying to achieve “net zero emissions’ will be much more damaging to the environment than greenhouse gas emissions. Despite predictive climate models from credible scientific sources, almost 30% of Americans do not believe climate change will occur in their lifetimes. There are also people who believe that policies addressing human made climate change are ineffective, over-reactive, misguided, or too harsh. But whatever IS happening now, scientists and researchers have determined that Earth’s climate in the last 100years has been warming at a much faster rate than over the 10,000-year period right before. That is something to think about.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND DISINFORMATION
Some of the strongest influences upon how people feel about Climate Change are the media and social media. Very few of us have the education, experience, or skills to understand and evaluate scientific research or scientific models, so we get our information from third party sources. Climate Change also affects many people with business and political interests which would be adversely impacted or even decimated if national and/or international legislation began making significant changes to energy, pollution, manufacturing, agriculture, farming, transportation, tourism, construction, fishing, and recycling, just to name a few. Climate Change also poses a huge dilemma for humanity and places people in uncomfortable positions as to where they may stand on Climate Change. If humans are indeed causing Climate Change and the science behind all the forecasts and projections is real and accurate, humans must make some monumental and immediate decisions on whether to change their behavior and alter their activities in the world they have come to know. So, if we aren’t getting our scientific data or opinions “straight from the horse’s mouth,” how should we evaluate the credibility and truthfulness of the information we receive?
Disinformation is everywhere today and has now become a part of our culture. It’s nothing new. We’ve always had “propaganda,” which comes in many forms, but all conveying biased or misleading information to promote or publicize specific causes or points of view. The difference now is social media makes it easy for anyone to post almost anything about almost any subject or person. Disinformation about Climate Change has been around for decades and has now flooded social media and more conventional media sources like televised news. Social Media has influenced millions of people regarding Climate Change on EITHER SIDE of the debate. But we must try to remember that disinformation is different from misinformation. Misinformation is any false or inaccurate information. Disinformation is misinformation deliberately spread with the intention to mislead. Disinformation also undermines how policymakers can and should effectively respond to the climate change crisis.
So, when you are watching, listening to, discussing, or reading about Climate Change, first consider the source of the information or opinion. Take a few minutes to research the reliability, credibility, experience, and possible self-interests of the individual, company, or organization making the statements, claims, or conclusions about Climate Change. If the source is not reliable and credible, the information will probably not be reliable or credible. There are media platforms that are “based on a business model that monetizes anger and negativity [and] are causing untold damage to society.” There are also “conspiracy theories” spread on social media which are specifically designed to influence the public on Climate Change. In addition, there are climate change counter movements in our country with gigantic incentives to spread disinformation that contradicts, minimizes, or dismisses the causes and consequences of Climate Change. Many are economically motivated like oil, gas, coal, fracking, and agriculture industries. Some are political, and some may be influenced by religion.
Remember that science, like most everything else, is constantly evolving, changing, and improving with changing technology and methodology. Science builds upon itself to make improvements and what may have been the golden standards yesterday may be obsolete tomorrow. Scientists are also human. They make mistakes and we already know that “to err is human.” Also remember that scientists do not necessarily agree with each other on many things. Even though you may know little about Climate Change, what you do have is common sense. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU LEARN SOME BASICS. MEANWHILE, USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IN TAKING A POSITION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE A MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION ABOUTCLIMATE CHANGE
WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THE FOLLOWING:
THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE EXPLAINED:FACTS, EVIDENCE AND PROOF, by Julia Rosen, a journalist with a Ph.D. in geology. Ms. Rosen’s research involved studying ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica to understand past climate changes. You can find the article at:
https://www.nytimes.com/article/climate-change-global-warming-faq.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Published April 19, 2021, Updated Nov. 6, 2021
Our References:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zqxm/how-koch-industries-fake-scientists-and-rush-limbaugh-invented-climate-denial
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3p33j/fracking-farris-dan-wilks-prageru-climate-crisis-denial-shapiro
https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/climate-change/3674963-environmental-groups-ask-social-media-companies-to-better-address-climate-disinformation/
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/everyday-actions/6-claims-made-by-climate-change-skeptics-and-how-to-respond/
https://ballotpedia.org/Opposing_views_of_climate_change_theory
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1107239912/climate-change-science-environment-global-warming-study-report
https://www.nytimes.com/article/climate-change-global-warming-faq.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2022.668763
Nogherotto R, Burgard C and Jones C (2022) What Is Causing Our Climate To Change So Quickly Now? Front. Young Minds. 10:668763. doi:10.3389/frym.2022.668763
