“Climate Skeptic” is one of those terms which means something different depending on who you ask to define it. A person who identifies as a climate skeptic would say it means someone who is not entirely convinced that “climate change” is primarily the fault of human activity, if it exists at all. However, a scientist would stipulate that a climate skeptic is someone who suffers from extreme neurological degeneration, and as a result cannot process information at the cognitive level of average humans.
If that seems harsh to say, it’s only because it has to be. The United States House of Representatives has a group called the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, which is responsible for global warming-related government action. The Republican-controlled committee is, in all honesty, a laughable group of idiots who would struggle to comprehend basic elementary science, let alone the meteorology shifts, which could devastate the planet.
They convened in September of 2014 to discuss President Obama’s plan to reduce climate emissions 30 percent by 2030 with an actual scientist. Watching the video of the meeting, it becomes clear that these men lack a basic understanding of scientific research, with one member, Larry Bucshon, going so far as to deny the validity of meteorologist in favor of public comments on the subject of climate change. Such ignorance does not respond to reason. Only assaults on such a person’s character would coax any kind of change from them.
Politicians like these try to make a big deal about the threat that terrorists pose to our national security. I say otherwise. Climate change skeptics, though not as fast acting in their destructive capabilities, are just as dangerous to America and the rest of the world as terrorists.
If the world were run by these individuals, rising sea levels would devastate the earth’s coastal seaboards, causing trillions of dollars worth of infrastructure damage, rendering a third of all major cities uninhabitable, and displacing 40 percent of the earth’s population. An organization like ISIS would need to control a nuclear arsenal rivaling Russia’s in order to cause the same kind of damage.
Disagreeing on climate change is not a thing our nation, and others, can afford to do anymore. That jury is not out on the issue, 84 percent of meteorologists agree that Earth is getting hotter and humans are to blame.
The weather supports this notion, too. The last 14 months have all been characterized by record breaking temperatures, not just in the air but in the oceans as well.
Rising ocean temperatures have led to widespread coral bleaching, causing subsequent habitat damage. The fragile nature of marine ecosystems makes them almost impossible to recover once they are lost, which only adds to the ever growing list of reasons why we can’t stand divided on the issue of climate change.
These climate change skeptics are jeopardizing the very planet on which we all live through their ignorance and pig-headedness. Now is the time for these people to wake up to the reality of the condition of the planet and stop ignoring the facts.
Jacob Przesiek is a
contributing writer to The Bona Venture. His email is
riordada14@bonaventure.edu
