Climate Change Andrew Hoffman Analysis

Climate change is one of today’s most hotly debated topic. Scientists for many decades have made supposed claims that current energy creation and reliance on fossil fuels will lead to inevitable changes to the planet. Today, climate change denial is still a popular to most of the world despite the mounds of evidence to support that it exists. The climate change issue suffers from being mismanaged by various parties through focusing on the wrong issues and the lack of true commitment from the general public, according to Sandra Steingraber.

Climate change is the long term shift in global climate patterns attributed mainly to the use of fossil fuels. Many people are aware of this issue, however, there has been an increase in the amount of people who deny climate change. 23 percent of Americans (compared to last year’s 16 percent) believe that climate change is not a problem (Atkin). To conclude that people do not accept cli­mate change because they do not under­stand it or need to be educated about it, is reasonable. However, I believe that it isn’t skepticism driving this denial. Rather, it is the phenomenon of reaffirming one’s identity. Instead of analyzing the evidence, it is intentionally interpreted in such a way as to maintain a pre-existing belief.

Everyday we can read or hear about “climate change” and how it’s affected our world and us. New solutions are made up everyday but all have a common factor, they cost big bucks or in the end will cost someone their money. The immense cost and dramatic changes to our everyday lives like transportation and energy is something you can’t change overnight and needs to be passed by the government before making any serious changes. This is where you’ll see politics get involved. You then you have the other half of people who think it’s just mother nature, because the earth has been known to have climate changes naturally over thousands of years, this is where science comes in. Some of these people disagree on making any new changes to human life as we know it. Climate change is not only a touchy subject for most but it is very touchy in what influences these unnatural or possibly natural changes. As we drive our vehicles to work, joy rides to the

Teresa Feldhausen’s article about global warming focused on the various opinions or beliefs people form based on where they reside in the world. The excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and oceans, as well as other threats to the environment, has been studied by scientists for many years. Large numbers of people, however, are either unaware of the issue or simply do not agree with the scientific evidence. Everyone in the world does not have access to education and technology, which leaves many societies at a disadvantage and prevents them from staying up to date on global concerns.

Despite a mountain of evidence they think that this is just a natural cycle that global temperature rises and falls over time as part of a natural process. Deniers argue that scientists are constantly changing their minds about climate change. The media fuels this mindset by constantly looking for new headlines. The reporters proclaim loudly that “Scientists predict an ice age,” based on a cursory reading of some study before it has even been peer reviewed. In reality the debate has long been settled within the scientific community. Approximately 97 percent of scientists agree that the current trend of global warming is caused by man. The projected temperature rise from these greenhouse gasses has matched almost perfectly with actual observed global temperature. This is an irreversible process that we can slow but not stop, but in order to do so, we need to come together as a planet and agree to some strict rules on

The lecture I attended was called “Love and Reason in a Dark Time: Why the Struggle to Stop Climate Change Failed and What it Means for our Future”. The lecture was given by Dale Jamieson. He teaches at New York University and has been funded by many big environmental agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency. In his lecture, Dr. Jamieson wanted to answer the question, “Why have we failed to take evidence-based action when it comes to climate change?”. It is especially astonishing the stance that some of our country’s major leaders have on the topic. For example, Donald Trump has tweeted that climate change is a “Chinese hoax”. Even though he claims that he was joking when he said this, climate change is not a joking matter. Scientists continuously warn the government and the public about how much carbon is being released into the atmosphere due to

This chapter discusses the denial of climate change. The author’s perspective focuses on the warming of the earth and how that is altering the biophysical world around which human social systems are organized. Despite the heat records and extreme weather events climate change has remained the “Elephant in the Room”. Climate scientists have identified global warming as the most important issue of our time.

Global warming has been a long standing scientific argument. As Minnesotans just experienced this past winter, winter can be very real and harsh at times. Following this recent winter, many people dispel the reality of global warming as just a myth simply because of what they have experienced, without looking at the real data, the facts behind the topic. Global warming is also a highly contested topic within our political landscape, dividing parties and raising or losing elections based on climate change. “The source of a climate change message is also very important – if the audience trusts the communicator, they are more likely to trust their arguments.” (Why are people still skeptical about climate change? n.d., para. 10) Some believe climate change can threaten our trade and industry sector, harming our economy as well as international relationships.

Media coverage of climate change has effects on public attitude on the issue, as it mediates scientific opinion on climate change. The media uses interactions between climate science, policy, statistical scientific texts, data, scientific language and the appearances of scientific personalities. Such as work and stories from scientists that are personally known. It is clear that science and policy shape media reporting and public understanding. Whether people believe in it or not is their

Public opinion on the topic of climate change remains divided despite over two decades worth of research and a strong consensus in the scientific community (Deryugina and Shurchkov, 2016). In an experimental survey, the authors tested whether providing the public with information based on scientific agreement on the occurrence and causes of climate change would affect the respondent’s beliefs. They found that not only did the public significantly underestimate the extent of the scientific consensus, the survey also indicated that those who were given concrete information about scientist’s views were more likely to report believing that climate change was already happening and that it was caused by humans. Moreover, the results concluded

In just under fifty years, a topic that was once considered controversial, causing people to avoid discussions on it for reasons ranging from denial to discomfort, has evolved from those unpleasant debates to today’s friendly conversations. The topic is climate change, and the controversy surrounding it has been rooted in disagreement on what exactly causes it. Some say that climate change is a hoax and the changes are part of a natural cycle of the Earth’s climate system. Others are positive that it is the direct result of human activities and without immediate action, the planet will become inhospitable to human life. Then, there are those who are in-between, not sure which side to take, but are aware that something is happening to the global climate system.

In recent years, Earth’s climate has rapidly risen due to human activities which is beginning to significantly affect ecosystems all over the world. Today however, many Americans still believe that this phenomenon is just a hoax in contrast to what multiple studies have proven and evident temperature records which have soared since 2001. According to Pew Research Center, 20% of those surveyed still claim that there are no solid evidence of climate change which is disastrous to our current home, Earth. The majority of those who don’t believe in this phenomenon are usually uneducated conservatives, or people who are simply receiving information from the wrong sources. Studies show that media messages or tabloids have a strong impact on voters whether the source is credible or not, therefore easily swaying people’s opinion. The disbelief of this reality has already shown its consequences as many animals have lost their homes, sea levels are rising due to the melting of ice caps, and natural disasters are occurring one after another. In general, climate change is not just an environmental issue but also a social issue because some people choose to ignore it because of psychological reasons or it is more beneficial for the corporations who are making money from producing fossil fuel. As much as scientists have tried to warn people, they have chosen to turn a blind eye toward the potential destruction of humanity, and as patriotic Americans, there must be some way to persuade

Climate change has been a gripping issue in current times as it presents the world with debate over not just the fate of the environment, but also political priorities, foreign affairs, media coverage, and public opinion. The concern for environmental health has grabbed the attention of people around the world and called for stricter regulations on gas emissions and pollution, but has also driven a wedge between populations. Climate change is an issue wrapped in political controversy and studied on a geographical level. Looking at how groups view and understand the research and concept behind this issue will help one better understand the environmental effects humans have on the world.

Bridget Heos, nonfiction author, wrote in Its Getting Hot in Here: The Past, Present, and Future of Climate Change, “In America, uniting to achieve a goal may be difficult, as some political leaders are acting on the view that global warming doesn’t exist, that humans are not causing it, or that it is not a concern.” Three main arguments against global warming are enlightened by Heos’ highlighted section of the discussion; it doesn’t exist, humans don’t cause it, and it isn’t a concern. However, science refutes all of these concerns.

Scientific evidence for the warming of earth’s climate is doubtful. Earth is undergoing a gradual increase in the overall temperature of earth’s atmosphere. Climate change is no longer an environmental issue but not contributing to a social issue, which affects every person’s lives in several different ways and intensities. Climate change is an economic, social, and environmental issue. Acceptance of climate change is the first step in a positive acknowledgment to advance forward in handling this issue. Climate change has become an issue prevalent in people’s lives rather than just the environment. The issue is not that the world has more carbon dioxide, and it is not that the world is warmer. The issue here is the speed at which the world is changing. The biggest issue is the blind side our population is willing to turn to the matter.