Science-based Arguments Supporting Climate Change


Roscommon/Crawford Chapter



Editor’s Note -We at the Roscommon/Crawford Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby were moved to action by the recent comments from Harold E Goodbottom, Jr. (see last blog). At a meeting of our Chapter editorial staff, we determined that we needed to answer Mr. Goodbottom’s various arguments. Ours was a contentious meeting; several of our members asked for the privilege of refuting Mr. Goodbottom’s ill-informed opinions by preparing an answer that provided science-based information. In the end, we decided on the only fair choice of choosing an author. We pulled straws. Since Mr. Goodbottom demanded the right to sign his name, we are breaking our normal practice of anonymity to advise that our chapter member Rod (Fish) Torn won the straw pulling contest and is the author of this report. (Fish is shown below as he pummels our previous author)




Science-based Arguments Supporting Climate Change 

                                              By Rod (Fish) Torn, Ccl Roscommon/Crawford Chapter

Mr. Harold E. Goodbottom, Jr. is one of a shrinking group of non-believers in climate change. If present trends continue, he will be representing only a tiny minority of those who don’t believe climate science and are woefully deficient in understanding our environment.

Here is a brief response to Mr. Goodbottom’s uninformed views via three simple observations.

1    1. More and more Americans are aware of climate change. A majority now believe climate change is caused by man-made air pollution.

   Recent polls indicate that 71% of Americans believe in climate change and its causative factor of carbon pollution, 9% say they don’t believe in climate change, and 20% say they are unsure. The data changes over time with increasing numbers believing in climate change following the initial data that was announced to Americans by Al Gore in his first session as a congressman in 1978.

   On a world-wide basis, Americans are a minority voice. Residents of other nations believe much more strongly in climate change: approximately 85 % voice their belief in the reality of climate change being caused my man-made carbon pollution. American views to the contrary are largely influenced by politics: a large proportion of non-believers are members of a common political party or those with religious beliefs that fail to comprehend current science.

   Scientists are much more convinced in the reality of climate change and the role of fossil fuels in the known increase of ambient temperatures. Although few debate the finding that 97% of climate scientists agree about climate change, perhaps an even stronger link is the documentation by 200 scientific organizations attesting to their belief in climate change and its cause.

     2. Climate change has nothing to do with religion. Most people and organizations working on climate science and/or policies about climate are careful to avoid mixing faith-based belief systems with findings from scientific studies. It turns out that climate change is like gravity – you don’t have to believe in it, but you’ll still fall down when gravity takes over after you stumble, regardless of your religious beliefs.

   Climate change is caused by burning fossil fuels and the resultant atmospheric pollution by carbon dioxide that began in spades during the industrial revolution. Our increasing appetite for low-cost electricity and other forms of energy have accelerated our demand for more and more power over time. Charts showing the increase of average temperatures around the world and the increase in air pollution from carbon dioxide are virtually identical – as the concentration of CO2 increased in the atmosphere, the world’s temperature increased. The phenomenon of increasing temperature is known to be caused by the ability of CO2 to allow the sun’s energy to pass through the atmosphere but then act as an insulator for the resulting heat energy that stays under the blanket of our changing atmosphere.

 3. Climate change activism is strongest among young people and those who will live long enough to see and experience the cataclysmic effects produced by carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. Older persons who have already lived the largest share of their lives are those who seem to have less regard for the lives of those who will face the harshest effects of air pollution as the future unfolds.

   The effects of climate change are predicted by science. Increased ambient temperatures will cause rising ocean levels that will prompt flooding in low-lying areas. Island nations will become uninhabitable. People who live in these areas will become a new wave of immigrants searching for a place to live. The mass migration of millions will strain the resources of nations that are less affected by rising waters. Are we to let those people suffer and die without providing help?

   Some areas of the world will get hotter and drier while others will see lower temperatures. Storms will become more violent and more frequent. Fires in the dryer areas will become cataclysmic as homes are lost and lives are permanently disrupted. Shall we sit by idly as more and more areas are devastated by fire and storms?

   Many of the predictions from science about these outcomes is unnecessary; most of these effects are beginning to occur already. Even though many of us are sufficiently myopic to look only at our own neighborhoods and villages, it is now impossible to ignore the misery unfolding in places near and far due to fires, floods and far-flung storm systems. When will we begin suffering in our neighborhoods or moving to help those already suffering?

   So far, I have discussed only the effects of climate change on people. Perhaps even more consequential is the impact of climate change on the natural world. Plants and animals of every size, stripe and color will face more severe impacts than people. Many species are expected to become extinct as their environments are permanently altered. One only has to watch the national news to see the devastation from the fires in Australia and the pictures of koala bears and kangaroos suffering from the fires. It is glimpse of the future. Can we watch the loss of a billion animals without remorse?

   Are we not a race of people who care for the well-being of our children and their children or will we, in the words of Mr. Goodbottom, let the sufferers ‘take care of themselves?” How long must we wait before we begin to take action to save our planet since there is no planet B?

   Stay tuned. Citizens Climate Lobby has some answers.

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