The Global Warming Conspiracy The issue of climate change and the role humans have had in it is perhaps one of the most discussed topics of today. There are significant portions of the population that deny climate change, even though overwhelming evidence has proved climate change to be real. This causes serious problems in society. Daniel Kahneman’s article, “The Surety of Fools” discusses why people continue believing what they always have even when evidence proves them wrong. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) published several articles, including one called “Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet” detailing the research and facts that prove that climate change is, in fact, real. An article by David Runciman, “How …show more content…
Without effective, logical discussions, society and the government ceases to function effectively. Without reaching a consensus, a compromise, or at least an understanding and admittance of the partial truth of the other side, nothing can be done. Denying facts in discussions leads to illogical decisions being made as faulty reasoning rather than facts dictate the result of the debate, which leads to nothing being done or the incorrect method being used to combat the issue, causing it to remain unresolved. Additionally, without using evidence, the other side is never convinced, and so no consensus or even understanding can be achieved. Runciman describes the implications of continuing along this path of the dismissal of evidence and not reaching any solutions due to these ineffective debates. According to Runciman, “An inadequate response – if we do too little, too late – could inflict untold damage on the habitable environment. But even before that day comes, the contest over the truth about climate change is doing serious damage to our democracy. The fight over climate reveals how easily politics can get in the way of the facts, and how hard it can be to escape once cynicism exerts its grip.” Doing nothing to combat climate change could have serious negative effects on the world. It shows a common trend where politicians use and distort facts in order to …show more content…
Already, human action has helped cause the sixth mass extinction, and countless species are in danger of disappearing forever. If this trend continues, the ecosystems of the world will likely destabilize, and overpopulation of certain species (caused by the disappearance of their predators) and the extinction of different species will have serious consequences in numerous fields, especially in agriculture. Excess pests may destroy crops, while the overpopulation of primary consumers can lead to the destruction of plant and algae populations vital to maintaining healthy levels of oxygen in the environment. Climate change will have serious consequences economically as well. “‘Taken as a whole,’ the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] states, ‘the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time’” (NASA). These costs may be in the form of disaster relief, funding used to restore the environment, and other programs and actions dedicated to reducing the negative effects of climate change. The resources used because of these damages will likely take away from various vital sectors of the world’s governments, perhaps reducing funding for important research, or for assisting the disabled or impoverished. These economic costs, paired with the environmental damage,