Climate Change Is Not Deranged
Climate Change Is Not Deranged by Nickolas Bovitz
Our recent presidential election has reminded Americans that we are divided on our stance about climate change. For the most part, most Americans agree that the climate is changing, but why it is changing is where people put the boxing gloves on. You may have heard the famous “the earth is going through a natural cycle, no need to worry” line before. I know that I at least used that line before. In my past, I thought climate change was all somehow a big hoax. I mean, how can you believe the earth is warming when New York is covered in several feet of snow? I perceived scientists and educators as corrupted sell-outs trying to drive a global conspiracy. Currently, I’m a full-time college student hoping to become an environmental scientist (now currently majoring in History as of 2020). What caused such a huge shift in my life? Science, and knowing how and why science works. That is why I believe climate change is a real issue, caused by humans, that too many Americans are in denial about.
The root of the problem is denial of human activity causing climate change. If the earth is going through some natural cycle, why worry? Here lies the issue; the rate of speed at which the climate is changing is not natural. Our climate started changing during the Industrial Revolution from burning coal. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this started around the year 1750 and we have been pumping carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere ever since (“Causes”). Sunlight hits and bounces off the earth, then bounces off the CO2 in our atmosphere. It then bounces back off earth and repeats the cycle over and over. This is considered a positive feedback loop. The trapped heat is actually why we don’t freeze to death during the night time. What scientists are concerned about is how much CO2 we are increasing in our atmosphere. There will be even more trapped heat. This will increase the overall temperature of the earth more and more. This is where positive feedback loops get dangerous. We are turning into a giant greenhouse, which is why CO2 is called a greenhouse gas.
This is why understanding science is important. Before I truly understood this greenhouse process, I was easily persuaded by the naysayers, especially when those in power make bold anti-scientific claims. For example, our new administrator of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, is in denial of climate change being human caused. According to the New York Times, Scott Pruitt said recently that “carbon dioxide was not a primary contributor to global warming, contradicting years of established science” (Schwartz). Even our current President, Donald Trump, has called climate change a “hoax” (Schwartz). I find it disturbing to have environmental and political leaders in denial of the damage we are causing. They are entrusted with our safety and influence on America’s political directions. They are the ones that have to make important economic decisions, especially when it comes to our consumption of fossil fuels.
As humans, we need energy to have a thriving civilization. Since burning coal and fossil fuels is an easy way to access energy, that’s what we stick to. According to Michael MacCracken, Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs with the Climate Institute in Washington D.C., “Roughly 80% of the world's energy… comes from the combustion of coal, petroleum, and natural gas.” If we continue to be in denial of human caused climate change, we won’t have the urgency to cut down on our CO2 emissions. We would continue to stick to the cheap, easy, but terrible option. For the same reason a frog won’t jump out of a slowly warming pot of water, we aren’t noticing our changing climate.
It is important to consider why companies are emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. The simple answer is we like to buy things. The beautiful new cars driving on the road came from manufactures. Energy was needed to create the rubber, melt the steel, and form all the plastics. Since building a car is expensive in the first place, companies will choose the cheapest source of energy. It is not only businesses that are at fault, but also our desire to buy more new things. The more things we buy, the more energy companies will need to meet our demands. Civilization is constantly growing and developing. A larger population will always mean more demand. This is how and why humans are the largest contributors to climate change.
Sometimes climate change is written off as a conspiracy or scandal. In the article “The Negative Impact of Climate Change is Overstated,” Marco Evers claims that there is a “scandal emerging from global warming research.” Evers talks about a man named Phil Jones who is the head of the Climate Research Unit. Evers called him “the father of an alarming global warming curve.” He explains a conspiracy about how Jones’ email server got hacked, and afterwards he stepped down from his position, was under investigation, and was suffering from anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Evers pointed out that Jones needed “medication to fall asleep.” This is of course Evers trying to imply that Jones is guilty of some sort of global warming scandal. Evers continued to explain how climate change is a big hoax and tries to accuse other scientists of being corrupt. I assume Evers would be disappointed to find out that Phil Jones was declared innocent and his climate change research has been peer-reviewed and verified (Monbiot). Now that we have the “scandal” out of the way, let’s talk about scientific research that Evers is misinterpreting.
When it comes to sea levels rising, Evers claims that “no one talks about such nightmare scenarios today.” He tries to explain that it is something that is not true or outdated. He also claims sea levels will only rise about 7 inches to 1 meter by the end of the century (Evers et al). What Evers doesn’t understand is that there is a difference between local and global sea levels. For example, a 7 inch increase at a pond in your backyard may or may not be a big deal. On the other hand, a global increase of 7 inches is a huge deal and will have devastating consequences. A recent prediction from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says “sea levels could rise as much as 21 feet in the next century” (Ghose). An increased amount of water globally leads to more flooding and also more violent, record-breaking weather. Sea levels is something we still talk about and is very concerning.
Evers tries to explain the “myth of monster storms” as if scientists are trying to overemphasize doom and gloom (Evers et al). He also says a study disproves the “link between hurricanes and global warming”(Evers et al). The truth is that large storms are increasing drastically. According to the National Wildlife Federation, historical storms you would see every 20 years, will increase to every “4 to 6 years by the end of the 21st century” (“Global”). This is happening because “warmer air holds more moisture” and there will be “more and heavier precipitation in the years to come” (“Global”). It is dangerous to be in denial of the devastating effects of climate change, especially when people’s lives are in our hands. Having a Hurricane Katrina type storms every 4 to 6 years will be overwhelming, heartbreaking, and also a huge financial burden to constantly recover from such events.
The Sahel in Africa is currently suffering from drought, but Evers claims that climate change will help increase rain for them (Evers et al). It turns out that the complete opposite is true according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They said the Sahel “will likely experience reductions in water available for irrigation” (“International”). This in return will cause an increased number of dehydration and malnutrition cases. It is disturbing to try to comfort people concerning a serious, threatful event. It is also very dangerous to incorrectly share information that goes against recent scientific research. Climate change, if ignored, will cause long term dangers to future generations. If an area of Earth does benefit from the warming, it is only temporary. Our planet’s history has proven that it has ways of balancing out its ecosystems, just not always in our favor.
Combating climate change isn’t about saving the earth and hugging trees. Combating climate change is about saving our lives. More than ever before, we need people to understand current scientific data and realize climate change’s impact is not being overstated. It is real, dangerous, and we are causing it. We all share the same Earth. We must work together to protect ourselves from ourselves.
The good news is that we can redeem ourselves. It starts with the obvious, our lifestyle habits. We need to reduce our consumption of energy. Every time we turn on a light switch or drive in our car, we are contributing to climate change. You may of course already know that somethings are unavoidable. I don’t expect you to trip over yourself in a dark house or never drive to work again. Instead, all we have to do is reduce what we are able to reduce. If we could use only 2,000 watts of power per year, we could reduce our impact on the climate (“5 Ways”). To give you an idea, “the average American consumes 12,000” watts per year (“5 Ways”). I am also one of those Americans that need to consume less. I don’t always unplug my phone charger or the fan in my bedroom, but learning about climate change has made me more aware. I now find myself turning off lights and unplugging equipment more than I used to. That’s all we have to do, is to be a little bit more self-aware.
Something else we do as humans is we throw away a lot of trash. When food decomposes it releases methane into the atmosphere. We should find creative ways to cook, and start thinking ahead about how much will be eaten versus how much will be tossed out. Speaking of eating, we eat a lot of meat. We have so much cattle in America that release methane through flatulence, it is contributing to increased greenhouse gases. It may sound silly, but it is currently a great concern. When we slow down our consumption of meat, it slows down the need to increase cattle populations. We can all help out a little, even if it’s just one less burger today.
Companies choosing to burn coal is something that is outside of our control. The good news is companies are becoming more self-aware and decreasing their carbon footprint. Americans are doing what they can to bring our atmosphere back to pre-Industrial Revolution levels. The scientific facts have changed my mind about climate change, even though I was previously wrapped up in emotional conspiracies. To keep America headed in the right direction, we must continue to enlighten one another. We have such a beautiful Earth, and its current stable atmosphere is what keeps us alive. We cannot allow ourselves to just rapidly change our atmosphere. As most biologists know, species can’t adapt to everything. I want to do what I can to make Earth safe for you and your future, and I hope that you will do the same for me.
Work Cited
"5 Ways to Curb Climate Change." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
"Causes of Climate Change." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
Evers, Marco, Gerald Traufetter, and Olaf Stampf. "The Negative Impact of Climate Change Is Overstated." Adaptation and Climate Change. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013.
At Issue. Rpt. from "A Superstorm for Global Warming Research." www.spiegel.de 6 Apr. 2010.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
Ghose, Tia. "NASA: Rising Sea Levels More Dangerous Than Thought." LiveScience. Purch, 26 Aug. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
"Global Warming and Floods." National Wildlife Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
"International Climate Impacts." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Jan. 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
MacCracken, Michael C. "Prospects for Future Climate Change and the Reasons for Early Action." Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, vol. 58, no. 6, 2008, p. 735+. Business Collection, Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
Monbiot, George. "The 'climategate' Inquiry at Last Vindicates Phil Jones – and so Must I."The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 07 July 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
Schwartz, John. "Trump’s Climate Views: Combative, Conflicting and Confusing." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
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