Punching Every Climate Change Myth In Its Face
If you think from the title that I am angry, you’re right. The reason? We should have been way past the point of addressing climate myths, but we are not, and some of us are simply hell-bent on disproving climate change. So here’s my (maybe not so) humble answer to every point they have.
I am going to list every argument of climate change deniers and provide reputed/reliable data on each of those. No cherry-picking, no half-truths, no twisted narratives, just plain and simple facts. Here we go.
Global warming is a natural, repeating process
Yes, global warming is a repeating process. However, firstly, it is not without cause, and this time the cause is humans. Secondly, global warming this time is the greatest ever this planet has witnessed.
(Source - EDF)
Take a look at the graph above. The Earth’s temperature has risen several times in the last half-million years, but each time the climate change has coincided with an increase in levels of CO2. Today the CO2 concentration is the highest the Earth has ever seen, and the corresponding temperature rise has just shot off. It will only take a few decades to make all life either dead or miserable.
Speaking of CO2, take a look at the image below -
Venus Vs. Earth (source - OHB)
The planet Venus is the same size as Earth, it is similar in many ways. Interestingly, it has the same amount of carbon as the Earth. However, most of its carbon is in the form of CO2, above the surface, while most of Earth’s is buried in the ground.
The result? The average temperature of the Earth is around 16°C/61°F, and the average temperature of Venus is 471°C/880°F. In fact, Venus is hotter than Mercury, the planet closest to the sun.
So anyone who believes CO2 doesn’t warm the planet is free to move to Venus.
Global warming is not real, many places are still cold
A couple of years ago, legendary Mr. Donald Trump made a tweet trying to disprove climate change, and this is what happened -
(Source - Indian Express)
If it’s still not clear, climate is defined as “the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period”, while weather is simply the conditions that are occurring in that moment or on that day - something we chat over in an elevator.
There may be cold weather patterns here and there every now and then, but overall the average temperature and instances of hotter weather are becoming more frequent.
Renewable energy is a scam/It’s no good for the environment
“Solar panels are toxic”
“Solar panels consume more energy in manufacturing”
“wind power uses a lot of cement and metal”
“renewables are just a money-making scheme”
These are some of the most common comments by people who I am sorry were probably not blessed with the genes that control scientific thinking.
Solar panels contain extremely small amounts of toxic materials (just like any other electronic waste), which can be extracted in recycling. Solar panels do take energy when manufacturing, but they generate the same amount of energy in 1-3 years, and last for about 30 years. The lifetime carbon emissions of solar panels are less than 1% in comparison to the lifetime emissions of a coal power plant, and solar panels can be recycled with 80-100% efficiency.
The same is the case with wind and other renewable sources, the energy payback is very short, and the lifetime environmental impact is incredibly low in comparison to fossil fuels. Here’s one of my favorite charts (notice that deaths because of using coal are 1230 times higher than that of solar):
(Source - Our World in Data)
And here’s an article I wrote a few months ago that goes into a bit more detail.
There is no consensus on climate change
97% of actively publishing scientists believe that humans are causing climate change. For the remaining 3%, do you remember how the tobacco industry manipulated research and spread fake news? Or when alleged scientists tried to “scientifically” convince us that black people were biologically inferior to white?
Well, there’s something similar going on in the climate sector too, which explains the 3% (or a significant part of it).
The Earth is actually cooling
Some misled and misleading souls argue that the Earth is not heating but actually cooling, and they have evidence for it in the form of numbers. I only want to share a snap of an incredible video created by NASA that explains this short-term cooling against long-term heating. The blue squares represent cooling and the red line represents heating:
(Source: NASA)
Sea level is not rising
Let’s use the example of the United States here. The sea level around the nation has risen by 6.5 inches since 1950. However, nearly half of it has been just in the last 10 years. For those who deny, this is based on measurements done regularly and different agencies confirm this rise.
This rapid change is attributed to melting ice (unless climate-alarmists are secretly pouring tankers of water into the ocean in the nights to push their agenda). In the last 20 years, flooding has increased by a whopping 233%.
(Source - sealevelrise.org)
Climate change is a future problem
Climate change is affecting us right this moment, and every single moment. Sadly, the victims of climate change are usually those who are not the culprits. Take a look at this graph -
(source - WHO)
These are the major myths/fake news that try to disprove climate change (read: fool people to help some groups profit from businesses that cost the environment dearly). There are plenty more of these, such as denying melting ice or even more ridiculous arguments like Mars is also warming, or that plants need all that CO2, and it will take a lifetime to tackle all of these again and again, and again.
We cannot put all our energy into fighting these myths, since we have a ton of work to do for our beautiful home. At the individual level, it is important to think scientifically, and to look for and be able to identify clear, proven facts.
Most importantly, please speak about climate change.
A tiny group screaming about it every day will always be less effective than the majority of the population talking about it regularly.
Ending with one of my favorite quotes:
“We do not inherit this Earth from our ancestors… we borrow it from our children” - Wendell Berry
