There are still people who try to deny climate change. In fact, not only they deny its existence, but they also spread false myths about it.
‘’There is no worse blind man than the one who doesn’t want to see’’. This proverb fits perfectly with those individuals who do not believe in climate change, despite the vast scientific evidence that has been released for the last couple of decades.
What are the 10 myths about climate change that are often heard? Continue reading and see for yourself.
Myth 1: Climate Change is a Natural Process
It is widely accepted that the Earth is constantly changing. For example, a lot has happened throughout the different eras, from the extinction of animals to the separation of continents. However, all of these changes have occurred over a period of thousands of years so the change wasn’t something completely visible when it was happening.
On the other hand, climate change in today’s world is occurring very rapidly. Not only there are catastrophes everywhere as a consequence of it but the increasing temperature of the planet since the pre-industrial period is accelerating so fast that this cannot be a part of the Earth’s natural cycle.
Myth 2: Scientists Have Different Opinions in Regards to Climate Change
No, not really. This has to be one of the very few topics where basically 99.99% of scientists agree on. In fact, not only they agree on the veracity of climate change, but they also agree on the reasons behind this, and of course, it’s an anthropogenic problem (in other words, humans are behind these changes).
Myth 3: Solar Flames are at Fault
Some people blame the sun for this change. However, scientists have studied the sun’s activity for decades and they have accurately measured solar output using ground and space-based systems.
And there is no significant change in the solar output, so, whenever someone says the sun is to blame, try to remember this!
Myth 4: All of This Has Happened Before
Well, this one is almost true. Indeed there has been some change on the Earth’s climate, but as stated in Myth 1, these changes have been gradual.
Myth 5: It’s not a Bad Thing If the Earth’s Temperature Increases
This is wrong mainly to our perception of temperature. In some places, people experience abrupt changes in temperature within one day, it is normal for them to have a sunny afternoon where it’s really hot and then the temperatures will drop within a couple of hours.
Even a rise of 1 degree Celsius can be devastating to nature, in fact, everything will be facing problems. From agriculture to flora and fauna, and even the oceans, they all depend on having a stable temperature. In other words, if global warming continues to happen then it is very likely all living beings will be suffering.
Myth 6: Volcanoes are Worse Than Humans
It is true that volcanoes emit carbon dioxide on a daily basis, thus they also contribute to global warming. However, they only shed an estimated 1% of the total worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide, so they can’t be the reason why climate change is happening at such a rapid speed. Human beings are still the ones to blame.
What’s more, some volcanoes have been around for longer than the human race. If this myth was true then perhaps the earth would have already collapsed a thousand years ago!
Myth 7: Climate Change is a Problem or Poor People Only
Even though climate change is already hitting poorer countries, just think about all the droughts that have been occurring for the last couple of years and how this has affected crops and agriculture, thus creating a non-stop cycle of lack of food that leads to high levels of starvation.
Climate change has already affected some areas that are considered to have greater wealth than others. For example, an airport was flooded in Osaka, Japan when the floodings wouldn’t stop for days and Manhattan was underwater during hurricane season, especially when Hurricane Sandy hit, and these are just to name a few.
Myth 8: Global Warming is not Being Felt Right Now
Some climate change deniers think that if climate change is going to occur then it is going to be in hundreds of centuries down the line. However, it was back in the 1970s when scientists started to openly talk about climate change and global warming as they were able to see what was already happening in some areas of the world.
It was during that time that scientists agreed on this myth as well. As it happens, less than 50 years after those claims, the rise of temperature has already hit the earth thus making global warming more tangible.
Myth 9: Carbon Dioxide has Nothing to Do with Climate Change
There has been a couple of periods of warming before, and yet, each one of them relied on the same reason: there was an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that leads to a rise of the temperature.
And even though carbon dioxide is an essential element to life, having it in high concentrations and other greenhouse gases that have been generated by human activity are a huge problem in terms of stopping climate change.
Myth 10: There is Nothing Else We can Do
This is definitely the worst myth out there. Not only it is a complete lie, but it can also be putting some people down, especially those who are willing to do something to fight against climate change.
This is a severe crisis and if every single person does something different each day, for example, one day you can go to work on your bike instead of your car, and then the next day you can take a quick shower instead of a long bath, then every single action will add up. This means that reducing a person’s footprint is possible we just have to be conscious of this.