Dec
Gravity is a theory too
Even though an overwhelming number of credible scientific institutions, politicians (both Republicans and Democrats), and international organizations say otherwise, a large number of people still deny that global warming exists. Chances are, some of those people are your family members or friends. So if you’re visiting your relatives or standing around at an office party this holiday season and a climate change debate starts up, here are a few things you can say/do to change a skeptic’s mind:
1. Give them the DVD of An Inconvenient Truth as a gift.
2. Ask them to read this clear and concise document about the science behind climate change. I found it easy to understand and science isn’t my forte at all.
3. Remind them that there are many prestigious universities that offer global warming as a course of study, i.e. you can get a whole PhD or Masters Degree in climate change. Think about it, Columbia University is willing to put its reputation on the line, along with huge amounts of money, for the sake of climate change research. If they think environmental degradation is that important, so should your friends.
4. The United Nations believes in climate change. In fact, they’ve created an entire offshoot program that is solely dedicated to curbing global warming. An organization which represents the entire world thinks it’s important enough too.
I hope this helps, and if it doesn’t–humor works too:
Also, read the latest from Copenhagen here
Related posts:
Gravity is not a theory, it is fact! Go jump off a cliff and test it!
Climate change is not a theory, it is a fact. Remember the Ice age?
GHG increase and Climate Change (which by definition MUST include positive or negative temperature change) are not interchangeable terms and should not be used as such
That the reported increase in GHG’s is all anthropogenic IS a theory
The idea that the infomercial, An Inconvenient Truth is embraced by many in Hollywood somehow makes it true is just plain silly. These are people who are payed to play dress up and pretend. Not many Mensa candidates there.
By volume the largest GHG is H2O vapor and it is all but ignored in any discussion of GHG. Why is that?
Wait …. I know, mankind can’t be guilty of using water. No guilt for someone to make you feel bad about. (kinda reminds me of John Galt)
Is it a good idea to be good stewards of our natural resources? YES and that includes conserving them. Each of us must do our part, not by compulsion but because it is logical.
If we invested the effort and money wasted on the POLITICS and POSTURING of global warming (Wondering how much was wasted getting all those folks to Copenhagen 2 weeks ago) how much further down the road could we be toward reducing CO2 emissions.
Enough already!
Hi Douglas. Don’t worry, I believe in gravity too. There are several meanings of the word “theory.” Most of us associate the word with something that is uncertain. But a scientific theory has a different meaning. The American Association for the Advancement of Science explains it here:
[A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world. The theory of biological evolution is more than "just a theory." It is as factual an explanation of the universe as the atomic theory of matter or the germ theory of disease. Our understanding of gravity is still a work in progress. But the phenomenon of gravity, like evolution, is an accepted fact.]
So we’re both right. I only used that subject line because I wanted to emphasize how we cannot dismiss climate change as a myth based on what a small minority of scientists have reported and ignore the overwhelming consensus that it is a real threat. Like you said, climate change is as much of a fact as gravity is. That’s why the claim that both phenomena are disputable is, in my opinion, illogical and wrong.