To people who don’t believe global warming is happening or that we are responsible for it, I have to ask, what if you’re wrong?  What is the worst-case scenario if you’re wrong about global warming?  Complete irreversible environmental damage.

What if I’m wrong (along with 99% of all climate scientists) about believing global warming is happening and humans are responsible for it?  The worst-case scenario is we would end up with a cleaner environment (better for the health of everyone) and new innovations – which would create more jobs and stimulate the economy. 

Which way do you think it would be better to err?

Scientists have been talking about climate change for 60+ years.  But it always seemed to be in the future.  Climate change is no longer a distant threat, it’s affecting us today.  In 2018, 41,990 daily high-temperature records were broken globally. 41,990 – this is real!  (National Center for Environmental Information). 

The earth is heating up and that is beyond serious scientific dispute.

Here are some reasons people have said they don’t believe in global warming or don’t act to fix it.

1. When the weather is colder than expected, it’s proof there’s no global warming. False. What they are talking about is the weather, which is what occurs in a certain place at a certain time.  Climate is the long term average of weather over decades.  Which brings me back to 41,990 daily high temperatures broken globally in 2018.
2. Ice ages and then warm periods in between are a natural part of our world. True, but those are caused by the earth’s orbital cycles, and the next cycle should be an ice age, not more warming.
3. It won’t affect me because I won’t be around when it becomes a problem. False, It’s happening today and it affects everyone. It supercharges natural disasters so that we have more frequent and intense hurricanes, higher storm surges in coastal regions, more intense fires, more ice melting, more record-breaking heatwaves, etc.
4. Wells Griffith, President Trump‘s top White House advisor on energy and climate said at a global climate conference, “We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability.” WHAT????  False.  How about because without environmental sustainability – which means, the ability to continue without the risk of failure or collapse – there will be no humans left on earth to enjoy economic prosperity.
5. There’s nothing we can do about the earth warming so why waste our time on it. False. If we suddenly stop burning fossil fuels tomorrow, we would still have to adapt to the climatic changes already set in motion. The excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will remain there for thousands of years. So no, we can’t reverse it, however, and this is BIG, we can reduce carbon emissions to keep global warming to a manageable level.

Sadly, the easiest way to find out if someone believes in global warming is by determining which political party they belong too, not based on scientific data.  It’s time to put politics aside and do what’s best for our world.  Because what if you’re wrong?