Global Warming: Does It Matter If You "Believe In It?"

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER..BUT IT SEEMS NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT!

OR ARE THEY?

A recent study by Yale University suggests that the extreme weather conditions experienced across the US have had a direct impact on increasing the number of Americans who now believe in Global Warming (GW). The study explains that recent record-breaking temperatures, deadly tornadoes, destructive floods, severe droughts and related forest fires raging across several states have turned many former climate change skeptics into GW believers - although most of these recent converts are still unwilling to accept any "anthropogenic" or human responsibility for the phenomena. The study also suggests that former GW skeptics may be more willing to acknowledge rising global temperatures if they have recently experienced a particularly sweltering day. An apparent confusion between weather and climate seems to be responsible for much of this effect.

The cartoon above satirically underscores how the framed debate in the media on climate change results in a time and energy-wasting distraction from the practical objectives of addressing the negative effects of climate change on the quality and diversity of human, plant and animal life. Any loss of biodiversity is irreversible. Regardless of one's current opinion of the climate change debate, the objectives listed on the board (above) are universally valid and positive objectives for all of humanity to strive for. Wouldn't you agree?

WEATHER OR NOT / CLIMATE MATTERS:
Meteorologists study and record the weather. Climate  scientists study the world-wide trends of weather over time. Essentially, the main difference between weather and climate is one of scale and time. Weather is the condition of the local atmosphere over a short period of time, whereas climate describes the condition of Earth's atmosphere and how it "behaves" over relatively longer periods of time.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE RECENT RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES IN THE UNITED STATES?

This summer's record-breaking temperatures and drought conditions across much of the US, have caused many people to reconsider the threat of global warming. Recent polls suggest that more Americans now "believe" that the planet is warming - as if it were a matter of personal choice, rather than an empirical matter of science. Does this distinction matter? The scientific theory of global warming includes the anthropogenic role in accelerating the warming trend by increased man-made emissions of greenhouse gases and other forms of industrial pollution. But does it really matter whether one believes the scientific theory of global warming, or can one believe that what the scientists call "climate change" is simply a natural phenomena of the earth's climate cycle? Proponents of both views recognize the dramatic changes in the climate and the threatening effects on human security. How important is the causal relationship to the climate discussion? Does it matter if the current scientific theory is incomplete? If we consider that in any action-based study of human society it is primarily the behaviour (action) that is important: The "what we did" or "did not do" in a particular situation is what is of ultimate importance. Our behavior, expressed through action, and in particular the effect of that action is primarily what concerns us. The reasoning which led to the behaviour is in many cases private, instinctive, or unknown. So long as the outcome of the action is a positive one, the "why" we behaved in such a way is rarely considered. This is a rather oversimplified view, but often, a simple explanation can provide a needed "toehold" for discussion. Ultimately, our behaviour can matter more than our reasoning:

I was probably 7 or 8 years old when I stopped "believing" in the Tooth Fairy. But that didn't stop me from placing my baby teeth under the pillow when they fell out. Perhaps I no longer believed in the "Tooth Fairy" per se, but I still believed that if I placed a tooth under the pillow (wrapped in tissue paper of course) that I would be rewarded with a quarter the following morning... or maybe even fifty cents in the rare case of a molar.

It's not surprising that the environmental threat of climate change seems to evoke such strong emotional reactions and varied opinions. After all, the lives of all living things on earth are influenced by changes to their environment, and taking responsibility for these changes is a daunting proposition. However, what is surprising is how so much of the actual objectives and resultant benefits of improving the health of the planet and it's inhabitants gets moderated and marginalized by layman debates in the media over the "science of climate change".

Have your opinions on "Climate Change" shifted in recent years? Do you think it matters whether you believe in the scientific model of Global Warming, or is it simply enough to behave in such a way that your actions help to reduce further environmental damage, and take steps to restore or improve the environment? Was there a particular event or experience which caused you to reconsider your relationship to the environment?

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