The evidence that the planet is getting hotter is undeniable, but that’s not stopping the deniers. However, all one has to do is look at the South Texas weather forecast, see the stretch of triple digit highs, and be convinced that we are dealing with the consequences of climate change.
Yet the arguments claiming that climate change is a hoax continue and the warnings of disaster are politically motivated. Many of the deniers are Republicans who are funded by the fossil fuel industry. The fossil fuel industry has a vested interest in denying climate change, as it would mean a loss of profits if we were to transition to a clean energy economy.
The deniers, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz, frequently say the climate is always changing naturally in the past, so the current warming trend must be natural. They also say the current warming trend is not caused by humans, but by natural factors such as solar activity or volcanoes. They assert that the effects of climate change are not as bad as they are made out to be.
But the climate change deniers refuse to admit that the rate of climate change is much faster than it has been in the past. And the evidence for a global disaster is clearly evident.
The scientific consensus on climate change is overwhelming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading international body for the assessment of climate change, has concluded that it is extremely likely that human activities caused more than half of the observed increase in global mean surface temperature from 1951 to 2010.
The evidence for climate change is mounting. We are seeing more extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, and wildfires. Sea levels are rising, and glaciers are melting.
The impacts of climate change are already being felt around the world. These impacts are disproportionately felt by the poor and vulnerable.
The costs of inaction on climate change are high. We could see more extreme weather events, widespread food shortages, and mass displacement.
The evidence for climate change is clear and the risks are real. We need to take action now to reduce our emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
In the new book “The Parrot and the Igloo,” best-selling author David Lipsky tells the story of how climate change deniers have managed to trump the science.
When scientists sounded the alarm that carbon dioxide was warming the planet a battalion of hucksters, liars, zealots, and crackpots managed to mislead the public. Lipsky traces the evolution of climate denial.
Guest: David Lipsky is the author of "The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial."
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*This interview will be recorded on Monday July 17.
