BBC's top 10 things to say to a climate change skeptic
What do you say to people who, despite mountains of scientific evidence, keep denying that climate change is a problem? My favorite so far...
Climate Change Denier: I don't think climate change is a big deal because blah blah blah blah blah.
Me: Have you won a Nobel Prize?
CCD: Ummm, no.
Me: Then shut up.
Ha ha ha ha! No that's not on the BBC's list, but it cracks me up.
Anyway... If you feel the need to respond with more intellectual cache, the BBC has posted counter-arguments some of the more common "skeptic" statements: Top 10. Also handy, is Gristmill's, "How to talk to a climate skeptic", New Scientist's "Climate change: A guide for the perplexed" and the Real Climate blog (where they spend their time knocking down the climate denying silliness of the day).
And really, we've had enough blah blah blah. Over a decade of it. The science is rock solid. Just today, Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (ie. someone who DID win a Nobel Prize) said:
The effects of climate change are being felt already... Climate change will hit hardest the poorest and most vulnerable countries. Its overall effect, however, will be felt by everyone and will in some cases threaten people's very survival.Failing to recognize the urgency of this message and acting on it would be nothing less than criminally irresponsible.
It's time we got passed the blah blah blah to real action. Thanks to the BBC, Grist, New Scientist and Real Climate for making that a bit easier.
Comments
[ Thanks for the typo spotting Simon (unintentional or otherwise). Fixed. - Andrew, web ed ]
Posted by: Simon | November 13, 2007 8:37 PM
Hmm... you would be amazed to see that not only ordinary people say that proving that there is a global warming is a little bit more complicated than you think.
In 1998 there was a petition signed by more than 17.000 scientists that say there is no convincing evidence that human CO2 emissions will cause in the future a catastrophic heating of the Earth.
So, perhaps climate change is a little bit more complicated than we think. If you want to read more, go to www.1ocean-1climate.com. You will find some interesting documentation.
Posted by: Adrianne | November 13, 2007 10:13 PM
Wow Adrianne, that petition b.s. is well past its "best buy" date. Sorry if you bought it.
Here's an op-ed from 2002 debunking it. For more about scientific consensus and climate change, see the Grist article mentioned above. Specific link here.
As for 1ocean-1climate... Looked at the site, and I find it almost (but not quite) as convincing as this graph.
Posted by: Andrew | November 14, 2007 11:24 AM
Ha! That's hilarious, just don't tell the direct dialogue folks to use it on the streets!
Posted by: gabe | November 14, 2007 8:07 PM
Ok, here's what I don't get. You guys do all these crazy things to try and stop global warming, yet have any of you ever acutally seen the polar ice caps melt. And seeing it on a movie in a paper or just hearing about it doesn't coun't. It doesn't count because all of those could have been faked. They could have just drilled a hole into the ice cap planted a small charge of dynamite, set it off and them film it and say the caps are melting, while watching the giant slab of ice fall into the water. Well you say that scientists have shown data. Well let me tell you this, welcome to reality , PEOPLE LIE TO GET WHAT THEY WANT!! I mean some sientists could have made some models, and drew up some fake charts. And in reality 97% of statistics are made up. And the article above, there is stuff in there that is taken out of contex. I quote"Climate Change Denier: I don't think climate change is a big deal because blah blah blah blah blah." Seriously, if youre not ging to listen to what he says you're just being ingorant. And just becayse a scientist hasn't won a Nobel Prize doen't mean that he doesn't know what he's talkibg about.
Plus that one scientist, Yvo de Boer, he had no had facts in his statement it was all in his own personal opinion.
So in reality until you see the polar icecaps meling up close and in person and conduct your own studies on reliable sources you can't prove anything.
Posted by: Chuck | November 17, 2007 5:05 PM