Climate Change Denial

Climate Change Denial

1. Climate Change Denial in the 117th Congress

Source: https://americanprogress.org/

Many members of Congress and senators including many newly elected officials - deny basic science leaves the overwhelming majority of the American people who accept reality with a grueling task ahead. Without bold new investments in a clean energy economy and an end to the practice of subsidizing fossil fuel extraction, the agents of doubt peddling climate change misinformation will have succeeded in darkening not just the future but also the shape of the present as well.

2.‘God intended it as a disposable planet’: meet the US pastor preaching climate change denial

Source: https://theconversation.com/

As for global warming itself, the reverend channels standard climate change denial, but all arguments of  American pastor John MacArthur are unsound and have been convincingly refuted to the satisfaction of an overwhelming consensus of climate scientists. He understates the amount of global warming, incorrectly describes the full record as dating back only 30 years and cites the Little Ice Age as evidence that the changes currently taking place are natural.

3. Science Denial in Climate Change

Source: https://theconversation.com/

Deniers suggest climate change is just part of the natural cycle or that climate models are unreliable and too sensitive to carbon dioxide. Some even suggest that CO₂ is such a small part of the atmosphere it cannot have a large heating effect. Or that climate scientists are fixing the data to show the climate is changing.  All these arguments are false and there is a clear consensus among scientists about the causes of climate change.

4. Economic Denial in Climate Change

Source: https://theconversation.com/

Economists suggest we could fix climate change by spending 1% of world GDP.  Perhaps even less if the cost savings from improved human health and expansion of the global green economy are taken into account. Setting aside just 1% to deal with climate change would make little overall difference and would save the world a huge amount of money. What the climate change deniers also forget to tell you is that they are protecting a fossil fuel industry that receives US$5.2 trillion annual subsidies – which includes subsidized supply costs, tax breaks, and environmental costs. This amounts to 6% of world GDP.

5. Humanitarian denial in Climate Change

Source: https://theconversation.com/

 In the US, heat-related deaths are four times higher four times than cold-related ones. This may even be an underestimate as many heat-related deaths are recorded by causes of death such as heart failure, stroke, or respiratory failure, all of which are exacerbated by excessive heat. Deniers point out that plants need atmospheric carbon dioxide to grow so having more of it acts as a fertiliser. This is indeed true and the land biosphere has been absorbing about a quar of our carbon dioxide pollution every year.

6. Political denial in Climate Change

Source: https://theconversation.com/

In the US, 25% of the human-produced CO₂ in the atmosphere is generated. Another 22% is produced by the EU and Africa produces just under 5%. Climate change deniers argue we cannot take action because other countries are not taking action. But not all countries are equally guilty of causing current climate change. Deniers also tells that there are problems to fix closer to home without bothering with global issues. But many of the solutions to climate change are win-win and will improve the lives of normal people. Switching to renewable energy and electric vehicles, for example, reduces air pollution, which improves people’s overall health.

7. Crisis denial in Climate Change

Source: https://theconversation.com/

Deniers argue that climate change is not as bad as scientists make out. We will be much richer in the future and better able to fix climate change. They also play on our emotions as many of us don’t like change and can feel we are living in the best of times – especially if we are richer or in power. But similarly, hollow arguments were used in the past to delay ending slavery, granting the vote to women, ending colonial rule, ending segregation, decriminalizing homosexuality, bolstering worker’s rights and environmental regulations, allowing same-sex marriages, and banning smoking.

8. Pauline Hanson denies humans behind climate change, blames 'fearmongering'

Source: https://theconversation.com/

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says humans are not behind the causes of climate change which she believes has been happening since dinosaurs were around. Pauline Hanson has denied man-made climate change is happening, arguing "fearmongering" is behind global concerns about the environment. The One Nation leader said the same shifts in climate that caused the extinction of dinosaurs are behind changes the world is experiencing today.

9. Senator Hanson denial on Climate Change

Source: https://theconversation.com/

There was "no scientific fact" about the impact climate change was having on Queensland - despite a wealth of credible, peer-reviewed research on the topic."There's no peer review of these scientists," said Senator Hanson. This has been man-made, this fear-mongering about climate change," Senator Hanson told Nine's Today on Tuesday."If climate change is happening, it is not because man is causing it to happen."