22/04: Climate change and rabid environmentalists
Adelaide University Prof. Ian Plimer is in Parliament House launching his book claiming that the science of climate change is not settled and that global warming and cooling are natural phenomena unrelated to human activity. I agree with the first bit - the science is never "settled", but the trends are plain to see and the causes are overwhelmingly agreed by scientists to be anthropogenic. When faced with a choice between believing the good Professor and believing the thousands of scientists who have contributed to the International Panel on Climate Change's comprehensive reports, then I think I'll go with the consensus view. So yes, I guess that makes me one of Ian Plimer's "rabid environmentalists". If you see me and I'm frothing at the mouth, (and not cleaning my teeth at the time) then stay away.
Ruben Schade wrote:
The time for debating whether this is even happening has long passed; we should be spending our energy (no pun intended) coming up with solutions to this problem instead.
And hey, as I tell people who deny climate change is happening, if it turns out this isn't true, our actions to protect our natural environment would still have been worth it. I want future generations of people to be able to visit unspoilt nature reserves, to drink clean water, to breathe clean air and to live in sustainable cities and clean, lush countryside. If that idea of the future makes me a "rabid environmentalist" too, I'll join you Mark!