If you read the news or are simply active in many social networking sites, especially on Twitter, you probably have seen how intensive climate activism is right now. The media has been covering a series of protests conducted by student-governed bodies and conservation groups almost every week.
And this is good, especially after thousands of climate researchers pleaded to everyone to listen to them before it was too late to take any form of action against climate change.
Unfortunately, even if the situation has improved, there are still a lot of people who deny the claims of these scientists.
For the past 30 years, a huge number of people are sowing doubts about climate change. Actually, it is reported that the fossil fuel industry has been spending about $200 million annually to control, delay or block any proposed radical changes.
But time has changed, and so the lobbying antics. Today, they are doing the so-called "climate sadism" - a more subtle yet more vicious antic that involves degrading or threatening the life of the activists. One example of this is Arron Banks, a notorious supporter of Brexit who wished in his tweet that Greta Thunberg's carbon-free yacht would sink down as she traveled across the Atlantic.
When fighting a lobbyist, it is important to know the "facts" that they're clinging into and the actual truth behind it. Below is the list of common myths against climate change.
1. "I don't believe in your scientific data. This is how it's supposed to work."
Deniers love to deny Science by using scientific "evidence" that might be true but improperly interpreted or has been debunked.
Typical claims include denying that carbon has a role in increasing the global temperature and the scientists are exaggerating the report. Both of these are incorrect, and thousands of scientists have worked hard to reach this clear consensus about the causes of climate change.
2. "Green economy is more expensive and less feasible."
While there are really a lot of scientists who agreed that the cost of the massive infrastructure and system reformation would be a lot, economists believed that the world will only spend about one percent of the total world GDP. And the world is gaining an average annual growth of 3.5 percent.
That amount is way lower when compared to the annual subsidies that the fossil fuel industry receives: $5.2 trillion or about six percent of the world GDP.
And people should not consider this as an expense but an investment. The world can save a lot if we consider the savings from improved human health. Additionally, scientists warned that if we do not act now, we might be forced to deal with the climate that is beyond the existing technologies and it will be more expensive.
3. "People die when it is cold. A warmer temperature is better."
Deniers actually think climate change is merely warmer winters. What they do not understand is it also causes drier summers, resulting in more frequent heatwaves, drought, and even stronger storms.
The argument that people can survive better on heat is not correct. For instance, the National Weather Forecast has reported that there are four times more heat-related deaths than the cold ones.
According to NWS, more people die from heat than cold.
And most people die during winter because they could not afford better housing and heating system. This is an economic problem, not because of the climate.
4. "More carbon means healthier plants."
It is true that plants absorb carbon when they are producing their own food, but it is not fertilizer like what deniers think. The land biosphere absorbs only about a quarter of our annual carbon emission.
Moreover, we should also consider that we are losing massive areas of forest due to extensive urbanization.
5. "Why would we take action when other countries are not doing anything?"
The biggest boundary against climate activism is probably the government's inaction, so the "concern" of these deniers is understandable. However, this is not entirely true either. For example, the smog problem in China has been improving, thanks to the massive protest in the country.
6. "We have a lot of other problems to prioritize."
This is another "concern" that, although true, should not be a hindrance. There are so many solutions to climate change that will give great benefits to the lives of every people, including apathetic and non-political ones.
For example, installing solar panels is a lot cheaper than electricity. And since solar panels do not emit carbon, it will make the air quality and improve people's overall health.
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