Climate Change Deniers: Wasteful Skepticism and the Misuse of Doubt
On Tuesday, March 24th 2015, Antarctic experienced the hottest day on record.[1] The temperature was recorded at 63.5°F at Argentina’s Esperanza Base on the Antarctic Peninsula. Although the WMO has not yet confirmed the week’s temperature, it has been verified by the Argentinian weather service.
In Michael Lemonick’s report, the Antarctic Peninsula has been one of the hottest warming spots on Earth, warming almost 4 degrees faster than the rest of the Earth.[2] This has caused ice shelves to recede and has damaged ecosystems, such as penguin colonies.
According to the article, Lemonick states, “the debate over whether global warming is natural or manmade is an artificial one…human-generated greenhouse gases have almost certainly been by far the most important driver of warming over the past half-century.” There is an overwhelming consensus in the scientific community that climate change is most likely anthropogenic because indubitable evidence points towards it. [3]
Why, then, is there a debate on whether climate change is anthropogenic (human-caused) or not? Despite all the evidence, there is still skepticism. This sort of resistance is real; I run into it every day. As an Earth science tutor, this is just a matter of fact sort of thing — the student and I talk about how real this is and how we can change that. But some people I speak with ask for ‘proof’. Unfortunately for them, nothing in science has proofs — there is only overwhelming evidence on a theory. Yet, much of science is still denied. If this is not apparent enough, Florida has banned the word ‘climate change’.[4] Sounds straight out of an Orwellian vision to me.
Although, this is partially due to media propaganda and oil monopoly interest, it perhaps calls upon an analysis of our own ways of thinking. This does not deny the influence of forces at play in this problem, but considers self-reflection. This says something about how we think and, more importantly, what beliefs have endured. The misunderstanding of critical thinking leads its misuse; climate change skeptics believe they are thinking critically, when, ironically, their preconceived notions and denial keep them from such. Instead of thinking that they can be wrong and asked to reassess their beliefs, this skepticism obstinately holds onto the comforting cradle of prior concepts. Previously held beliefs are suddenly strengthened by cognitive dissonance as a defense mechanism, (i.e. backfire effect).
Skepticism and doubt have always been important tools in the process of learning. These methods of rational thinking have allowed us to filter pseudo-science, rhetoric and fallacies, but the misuse of doubt can stunt progress — especially scientific. As humans, it is hard to abandon old beliefs. Sometimes, the evidence presented is not tailored to fit as a constituent to our perfectly shaped notions; it cannot be true that we are wrong because this can ruin the integrity of our well-structured minds. But rearranging that structure can strengthen the way we think. The misuse of doubt can be hazardous, especially in dire cases, such as climate change. And in the end, there is no way living sustainably can possibly hurt us.
References:
[1] Masters, Jeff and Bob Hensen. “63.5°F in Antarctica: Possible Continental Record; 14 Years of Rain in 1 Day in Chile” Weather Underground. Published March 27th, 2015. Accessed April 1st 2015. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2944
[2] Lemonick, Michael. “Report: Most Antarctic Peninsula Warming Human-Caused” Climate Central. Published August 22nd, 2012. Accessed April 5th, 2015. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/new-report-most-warming-in-antarctic-human-caused-14854
[3] Oreskes, Naomi. “The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change”. Science 3 December 2004: Vol. 306 no. 5702 p. 1686.
[4] Newton, Steven. “Florida Bans the Term ‘Climate Change’. Science, Huffington Post. Published March 12th, 2015. Accessed April 1st, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-newton/florida-bans-the-term-climate-change_b_6852726.html
