So what are the climate change denialists in your life saying right now?
So what are the climate change denialists in your life saying right now?
With the month long heat wave.
"Why don't you call anymore?"
It's all a hoax, it's not a big deal, it's just hot out.
My family is from Iowa, where they've had record breaking storms 3 out of the last 5 years, heat waves lasting longer than ever in history, record cold, and to top it off, wildfire smoke for the first time ever. (Note that this is after they made fun of Cali for being Cali and being on fire). No, none of these events have registered as connected in any way.
Nothing will ever convince these people. They are immune to evidence and argument.
logic will never convince them because they aren't arguing from a position of logic. It's about conforming to the beliefs required to be part of their tribe and/or protecting themselves from coming to terms with the harsh realities of climate change. It's reactionary against a challenge to their beliefs.
You would need to first convince them to consider that their respected authorities could be wrong. But within this reactionary mindset, being wrong is disgraceful. So unless they lose respect for their leaders or manage to shift away from believing fallibility is disgraceful, I don't know if they can be convinced.
Worse. I think many are immune to observation.
maybe if you can convince them that global warming helps out joe biden they will be against it.
Right on par with the old, “Hurr durr of course it’s hot, it’s July!!!1!1!!1!” comments. These are the same folks who, when faced with a polar vortex in December or January, proudly and obnoxiously crow about “global warming.”
Their tiny brains just can't comprehend the difference between weather and climate. I have had meager success explaining that climate change results in worse extremes, colds get colder,hots get hotter, and storms get stronger, but even then it's only some of them that actually listen. The rest are like "I've got it allllll figured out" and refuse to listen, then drive off in their 0.7mpg Ford Tahoe Super Manly Man Maker to go to the grocery store 8 blocks away.
It's the hottest July in recorded history. Likely the hottest for tens of thousands of years. There hasn't been below average temperatures since the eighties, no not even that winter that you thought was quite cold at the time. Polar vortices are supposed to happen at, you know, the poles.
"hottest summer on record? Give it a rest, they say that every year!"
Also I'm in the UK which has been raining and dreary for the last month so it's not getting as much coverage here.
"hottest summer on record? Give it a rest, they say that every year!"
That's funny because it's true. Also sad. Mostly sad actually.
They're so close...
According to my father in law: everything's fine, actually. It's hot, sure, but it's been hot before. The actual problem is that The Weather Channel has started to get political/go woke and push an agenda.
So next time it's so hot the power grid can't take it or your house is destroyed in a flood or forest fire, it's just that pesky Weather Channel!
Fire and Rain have gotten so woke
They complain about how weird and unprecedented the weather has been the last few years, but if I so much as mention the word "climate" an awkward silence descends. I also had a guy hint at some weird conspiracy theory about the sun recently.
Say weather change and see if that gets the ball rolling.
I think I might have at some point, actually. It seems any suggestion that it's not a few years of weird coincidences shakes people.
Right? Climate is the average of weather, usually over 30 years. So if the weather is substantially different for a few years in a row it starts impacting climate.
This is simple arithmetic.
Exactly. And I figure a lot of those people think that they're the same thing, or would have, anyway.
The sun is expanding into a Red Giant and that's why it's getting hotter, obviously /s
I think I'll be more concerned about the sun expanding into a red giant
not incorrect! its just that its a process of billions of years, not a few years!
Nothing. They just talk about Biden destroying the economy with Hunter's laptop and Hillary's buttery males.
My dad: "the earth goes through natural temperature cycles, I've got some good scientific sources who say it's all natural and climate change is just scaremongering"
Guess that's another topic along with the EU, immigration, COVID, vaccination that I can't talk about with my family.
Makes it hard and frustrating to continue to have a relationship at times.
"Amazing dad, do these cycles usually happen in the span of a lifetime?" I don't expect you to say that, I already know his answer. It's whatever Fox News told him to say
Oh I did. He just has "evidence from reliable sources" to say it's all a hoax.
They don't care about the heat wave in southern Europe because northern Europe has had a relatively cold and rainy July.
The slightly less dumb ones now say "Yeah it's happening but we shouldn't fight it, we should just accept it" (and then proceed to complain about refugees, which will increase x1000 if we don't do anything but they don't make the connection)
The dumber ones say that it's "natural cycles"
It's all being done by HAARP. When confronted by sentences like that, all words escape me.
What's that?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-frequency_Active_Auroral_Research_Program
A magnet for conspiracy theorists 🧲
in addition to the below, a pretty cool Muse album
Friendly reminder that it’s not about denial anymore. It’s about how urgent is the existential threat of tipping points and how radical and fast should we act.
One side says, let’s stay reasonable, let’s not hurt the economy, don’t panic because of the these crazy Greta maniacs. Source: We managed a lot of crisis in the past, sometimes it’s not that hot, lobby money.
The other side says we have to hit the breaks immediately or a lot of people are going to die. Source: Science.
What are you basing the existential threat claim on? I don't think I've heard a credible scientist ever claim it's going to end our specie. The yearly excess deaths estimates I've heard vary from few hundred thousand to couple million a year in 2050 - 2100.
While your numbers, if factual (no source posted), are statistically correct (in that it won't make our species go extinct), you have to remember a simple fact: those numbers represent individual human lives. Family, friends, neighbors, your pizza guy, etc. Pretty brutal to be so flippant about.
Also, this doesn't take into account the potential for cascading environmental system failures that could be caused by such warming. These unknowns could greatly change the equation.
I realize you are mainly arguing the point in response to "existential threats" being bandied about, but it's a weird stance to take here.
People are already dying because of the heat or starving because of droughts and water scarcity. Based on the IPCC report it will become even worse, especially of we don’t manage to avoid the tipping points of the climate crisis in the next few years.
On top of that, people
There are definitely worse scenarios. The worst I know states that most parts of the world will be uninhabitable by humans and estimate that there will be 1-1.5 billion survivors by the end of the century. So, end of our species? No, just too damn close for comfort.
Can you elaborate on the "hit the brakes immediately" or we're all going to die statement? What "Science" backs this claim up? Legit science please, not from agenda-laden website.
They compare it to heatwaves from the 1970s…
Boomers never left the 70s
"The earth has had warming cycles before"
"How can you prove records from a thousand years ago"
"It's all just a scam to tax us more"
Theyve changed from "it's not happening" to "it's happening, but it's the biblical end times and doesn't need to be concerned about."
So just more denial about it being an actual problem.
"There was climate change when the Vikings were around so it's not as clear cut as people make out."
In my country we've had the opposite of a heat wave, the worst summer I can remember with rain almost every day and temperatures barely making it above 20 degrees. He says that this shows the planet isn't heating up and jokes that we need more carbon.
"It's only natural" seems to be the go to.
The people in my personal life, though, are mostly just EXTREMELY wary of just about any information at all.
They are more comfortable putting shit down to some conspiracy, rather than looking at how awful some people are outright.
I don't think they want to admit, or submit to the hopelessness of the situation, especially economically. So they rather keep themselves busy with petty bs.
Mostly "There have always been hot Sommers."
No idea, I've either changed their minds or stopped talking to them.
"I'm following the real scientist. They're called climatists and they just all banded together and said 'stop all this bullshit reporting' to the mainstream media!"
My soul left my body and I died.
I don’t have climate change denialists in my life. That’s usually indicative of other beliefs and values that don’t jive with mine, and we end up being incompatible as friends.
I never really knew anyone that would straight up deny science. I mean i've met people before that are that stupid but they were never in my life.
I have expelled them so I do not know.
They would rather make up for lies than admit they are wrong
I do not have climate change deniers as friends because idiots cannot be my friend.
By now it's pretty obvious what is happening and what probably will happen. The ones unable to understand will inevitably have a hard time and a lower chance of passing on their genes which is fine by me.
Understanding has nothing to do with a person's chances of survival or their children's chances. The biggest determinants will be wealth/poverty and location. Plenty of ordinary people who understand perfectly well what's going on will suffer and die, while fools who can buy their way to a safer place will survive.
We NeEd nUcLeAr
The world is hopelessly addicted to oil and this can never change.
We need a sober, reasonably paced transition.
What about china and india?
HyDrOgEn EcOnOmY
It's completely ruined and there's nothing we can do so why bother?
BP came up with the concept of carbon footprints so this means me actively politically supporting their lackeys, directly giving them half my pay check, and personally emitting 10x the world average is fine.
We just need to kill all the poor people.
We can't reduce subsidies for the rich to use more fossil fuels, what about all the poor people it will hurt?
They literally are saying that it is like this every summer. The other excuse they use is that we shouldn’t be forced to do something when there are countries that pollute worse. The other argument they provide is that climate change policy affects poor people the most, so they claim that it would be unfair to them if we enacted any of it.
I feel like I don't hear from them much anymore. Maybe it's because I've managed to finally cut all of them out of my life. Or maybe it's because they've realized that even the people who do accept that climate change is real still aren't going to do anything about it because even the softest, most hands-off forms of mitigation would be too disruptive to capitalism.
Don’t know any anymore. I am a passionate debater and educator on climate science so I either convince them or they distance themselves from me.
Wow - are people really disbanding friendships over climate change stuff? Are you sure you were that good of friends prior? Id question all that. As for "deniers" , I dont think people questioning all of this are deniers, they are simply asking legit questions. Remember, this Climate thing has been being pushed/sold to us for like 60+ years now. We've been "Dead" numerous times now but pretty much none of it has come to fruition. So, can you blame people for being a tad skeptical? I dont.
I also get frustrated with those that seem to ignore the very real concerns of the "working person" who finds it a little hypocritical that many of the loudest climate change activists(celebs, athletes, politicians, etc.) tend to NOT walk the talk. So, they can fly private jets, own 4 homes, two yachts and have Lamborghini collections but Im expected to eat bugs, drive a lame EV and ditch my perfectly good appliances? Yeah, sorry, thats a tough sell, IMO.
I see some clean energy initiatives that do appear to make some sense. Slow adoption, logical solutions, etc. should be the way. Not slam dunk, draconian changes that wreck our energy girds and reliability. There should be a happy-medium here is what Im getting at. Im tired of the extremes and most people seem to be also.
As for “deniers” , I dont think people questioning all of this are deniers, they are simply asking legit questions. Remember, this Climate thing has been being pushed/sold to us for like 60+ years now.
If you deny 60 years of research how are you not a denier? The only people with doubts at this point have no clue about science, sorry.
60 years of doom, gloom and sure destruction which has resulted in.... nothing. Your science isnt working out. Its clear that we dont fully understand how this all works as we only have data from a tiny fraction of the Earths total history. Again, the predictions that have been harped on over the last several decades have all turned out to be false of greatly exaggerated. Those are the real facts.