Confessions of a climate change denier

posted in: Life and things | 7
NASA photo of Earth from space
NASA photo of Earth from space

The issue of climate change is a very hot topic and has been for years, to the extent that now it has become a form of religion, with the same sort of fanaticism you’ll find when staunch Christians and die-hard atheists are toe to toe. The atheist insists on proof that god exists. The Christian sees that and raises it with, “show me proof He doesn’t.” I’m quoting Ivar Giaever’s speech at the Nobel Laureates meeting 1st July 2015.

It has become increasingly difficult to have a sensible debate on the subject, but since this is my blog, I can state my position.

Okay, I’ve outed myself as a climate change denier. Sort of. But let’s talk about what a “climate change denier” is, and is not. I don’t deny the climate is changing. That’s a bit like saying the Earth is flat, when we have pictures that show uncontroversially that this is not the case.

OF COURSE the climate is changing. It does that. Our planet is, after all, a living entity. Tectonic plates move, islands are created, volcanoes spew their contents into the atmosphere. The “issue” appears to be about whether or not we Humans are responsible for the current changes. (I note we don’t refer to “global warming” anymore.) And regardless of the answer to that question, what are we going to do about it.

Look, Humans are worse than cane toads. We spread, proliferate at the expense of anything that stands in our way (including other humans). But cause climate change? Because we increase the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere? I think there has been a LOT of scare-mongering on that subject. We’re told 97% of scientists agree Man is the cause, but there’s plenty of evidence that this figure is inflated. Sure, quite a few scientists say we are contributing towards climate change. That’s not the same thing at all. I’m not posting links. This stuff is easy enough to find if you’re interested. Are the computer models right? Are the models using enough data? Has the data been tweaked? How do you explain the mini-ice age when the Thames froze at the beginning of the 1800’s? Why is Greenland called – Greenland?  Why is the Arctic melting and the Antarctic is icing up even more? What about Al Gore’s hockey stick graph? Was Tim Flannery right when he said the Murray-Darling basin would never fill again?

Climate is notoriously difficult to model. Supercomputers can’t do much better than a few days in advance. Cyclones are tracked on best guesses. And there’s that awful Chaos butterfly wreaking havoc everywhere. I don’t believe the models can predict what the circumstances will be like in 100 years’ time – for lots of good, factual reasons, not because of some sort of ‘faith’.

Right. I feel better now.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter a stuff what I believe. The climate is changing. Can we do anything to stop it?

The answer to that has to be a resounding ‘no’. We have to learn to live with it. Charging companies who release CO₂ into the atmosphere just puts money into Government coffers. Sure, we can move to other forms of energy, but we need something more reliable than wind or solar power. The price hikes for power in South Australia are testament to how well that worked.

Let’s concentrate on the things we CAN change. Clean up the ocean, cut back on the enormous waste in our way of life, preserve the forests. Encourage people to live in more densely populated cities where people don’t need cars.

I don’t know what you do about the over-population of the planet, which is the main reason we’re in trouble. Maybe AIDS and Ebola were Mother Nature’s attempts at control.

On to this week’s pretties. I’ve selected a few landscapes of the wide brown land because we still have a car to take us to these places. In that respect, I count myself truly fortunate.

Wilpena Pound in South Australia
Wilpena Pound in South Australia
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Esperance beach south-west WA
Esperance beach south-west WA
Water churns through the gap in the cliffs at Horizontal Falls
The ocean churns through the gap in the cliffs at Horizontal Falls

7 Responses

  1. MonaKarel

    Is the climate changing? Yes.
    Am I helping to change it? Sorry I just can’t have that huge an ego. I think we are trashing our planet but I think that also happens throughout history. The best information at a site is found in the refuse piles.
    Can I do anything about climate change? Back to that ego thing??? I can do something about recycling and making mulch from my kitchen waste. And also avoid the lure of NEW NEW NEW goodies.
    If the climate changes to such an extent the desert becomes verdant–again–and I am still alive to enjoy it, then I’ll change my gardening routine.

  2. Marj

    Nearly every older person I meet, nearly every person around where I live, have refused to become a follower of this new religion. I am not even sure if the climate is changing more quickly than it always changes – there have been so many ‘facts’ published that are then shown to be fiction. What I do know for sure is that far too many ‘scientists’ have abandoned science for faith in the mythical ‘consensus.’

    An excellent article. And very beautiful pictures.

    • Greta

      What’s especially galling is when the “faithful” look down their noses at people who don’t believe as if we’re ignorant rednecks.

      And I’m delighted to share my pictures.

  3. Julia Barrett

    We are pretty damn egotistical to think we can destroy the earth. Maybe destroy ourselves. Climate is always changing. I’m a history fanatic. I realized ten years ago that man-made climate change was a farce simply by understanding historical changes- the rise and fall of civilizations. Natural cycles of flood and drought, heat and cold that brought empires to an end. Sometimes in a matter of a few hundred years. If the ice sheets are so permanent, then why does a retreating glacier uncover a forgotten and ancient or not so ancient human settlement? That tells me that glaciers wax and wane. The Vikings or Norsemen explored during a warm period. They retreated from settlements during a cold period. The Anasazi in the American Southwest were wiped out by prolonged drought. I could go on and on and on….

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