Fact or Scientific Dogma!

In response to Mr. John Streeton’s letter headed “Dictatorial stance on light bulbs” appearing on your February 28th edition may I respond by saying that when it comes to climate change some people are just not persuaded by information and make comments that are simply false and misleading.

Mr Streeton’s letter notes that “I state facts and figures as if it is proven scientific dogma”. A dogma is a belief imposed by an authority and held true even if no or little evidence supports it. Contrary to Mr. Streeton’s comments the overwhelming majority of scientists that study climate change agree that human activity is responsible for changing the climate.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of the largest bodies of international scientists ever assembled to study a scientific issue, comprised of more than 2,000 scientists from 100 countries. The IPCC has concluded that most of the warming observed during the past 50 years is attributable to human activities. The IPPC Fourth Assessment Report published in 2007 is considered the most extensively peer-reviewed science document in history. Its findings have been publicly endorsed by all the major international scientific institutions and national science academies from around the world, yet according to Mr Streeton’s “non scientific point of view, purely as an observer”, it is his conclusion that the jury is still out!

To gain an understanding of the level of scientific consensus on climate change, a recent study examined every article on climate change published in peer-reviewed scientific journals over a 10-year period. Of the 928 articles on climate change the authors found, not one of them disagreed with the consensus position that climate change is happening or is human-induced.
The universal consensus is that the climate is warming rapidly beyond natural variability and the primary cause is human-induced CO emissions.

The different social cultures and political systems these organizations operate within make it hard to see how they would all be labelled as eco warriors by Mr. Streeton. One needs to consider this: what interests have scientists in raising the alarm? What interest have governments in discussing very unpopular measures like energy saving light bulbs, carbon rationing, increases in taxes and duties on petrol and gas, road pricing, travel taxes, etc.. And if there were still serious doubts, why would all governments through out the world agree that climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity?

The consensus of scientific opinion on anthropogenic global warming is so conclusive there can be no doubt yet some people are not willing or ready to listen and continue to believe that science is not clear because this allows them to continue business as usual.

We are used to living with cheap, readily available energy, in a society which encourages us to consume ever more. The evidence of climate change and what its mitigation means for our lifestyles is therefore deeply unsettling for many.

The debate is over about whether or not climate change is real. Irrefutable evidence from around the world - including extreme weather events, record temperatures, retreating glacier’s, and rising sea levels - all point to the fact that climate change is happening now and at rates much faster than previously thought.

Science, however, has moved on and is now attempting to address the problem. It is hard to convey just how selective you have to be to dismiss the evidence for climate change. You must ignore an entire canon of science, the statements of the world’s most eminent scientific institutions and thousands of papers published in the foremost scientific journals.

What that science is telling us is that if we do not drastically reduce our carbon emissions global warming and climate change could destroy the conditions which allow human beings to remain on the planet. The effort to cut greenhouse gases must come before everything else. Each of us must play our part in this. If this is a dictatorial stance then so be it.

Understanding what the science is saying and planning accordingly is what we need to do now within our communities if we are to have any future. The financial crisis has shown what happens when we pay no attention to sustainable development and try to make the facts fit our desires. Now we must learn to live in the real world. Faced with the overwhelming realities of climate change, some people will clutch at any reassurance. For Mr. Streeton it’s a light bulb. God help us all.