My email inbox is exploding with repeatedly forwarded and, no doubt, fossil fuel industry generated climate denial propaganda. The nutjobs are out in force because it's cold and snowing in January. Yup, imagine that. It gets cold in winter. Shocker.
They're using winter weather, as usual, to continue to promote their fossil fuel industry bought and paid for meme that Climate Change is some kind of hoax perpetuated on the people of planet Earth. They're whooping it up because brutally cold weather is about to descend on a large portion of the US and, in their twisted strategy, that is enough to convince the dull-brained masses that climate change is again "proven" wrong.
They're virtually dancing on their desks while covering stories about ships getting stuck in the ice in Antarctica. And, of course, expressing delight that many of those stuck in the ice are scientists in the Antarctic to study climate change. "Take that, climate scientists - your climate change hoax has just bitten you in the butt" is the typical meme.
They're so well compensated for catapulting that level of propaganda and BS into peoples homes it's no surprise that there's so much of it. The truth and reality are often more difficult to report and go unrewarded.
Far too many Americans believe the stories of denial because it lets them off the hook for their own impact on the environment and climate. It makes it easier for them to continue to refuse to make the small changes in their lives that would make things better for everyone. Small changes like consolidating our trips in vehicles so errands can be done all at once rather than one at a time, looking for energy efficiency when replacing appliances and vehicles, recycling so metals, plastic, and glass can be re-used at lower energy cost than newly made, and replacing burned out light bulbs with those that consume less power but give the same amount of light.
Going along with denialists, though, is like whistling past a graveyard; a pretense that we'll live forever and that we have no impact on our planet.
If you listen to RW sources, you'd think Al Gore cries every time the mercury drops on a thermometer or a flake of snow falls. He's become their poster boy whenever climate change is discussed. The real poster boys should be our future generations that face a more difficult future because of our unwillingness to change.
It was probably a mistake to initially call climate change "global warming". Yes, the average temperature of the planet does rise, but the effect of that isn't generalized warming, but the creation of extremes. We don't see climate change every day, but the trends are being seen more and more as storms get bigger and deadlier, drought gets worse, and massive forest fires erupt every year.
Yes, it gets cold in winter. And where I am it's going to be so brutally cold by Monday that schools and stores have already announced closures. It's not because climate change is a hoax. It's because climate change is real and this is just one of the extremes that's being caused.
Just as the sun doesn't die or get eaten by dragons at night, climate change isn't proven wrong just because it gets cold and snowy in winter. And just as the sun will rise again in the morning, climate change will continue to get worse until we do something about it. And that won't happen unless people wake up from their RW money-induced propaganda coma and start demanding change so the planet we leave for future generations is a better one.
We all have our parts to do. When you get one of those oft-circulated climate change denial emails, click "reply to all" and tell people how it's wrong. When Uncle Charlie spouts his Fox News climate change denial talking points, open your mouth and debunk it. Eye rolling and heavy sighs on our part are no longer enough. We have to become active in changing peoples minds.
Weather is not the same as climate. Weather changes day by day. Climate is a progression over extremely long periods of time. The "doubt" and "uncertainty" are over. Scientists agree. Repeat often to the deniers.
Climate Change Denial is following the same strategy used by the monied tobacco industry to deny that tobacco caused health problems. They create "doubt" and lots of it with the use of propaganda, impressive sounding bought and paid for "studies", and bought and paid for "experts". It was successful in creating decades of "debate" and "doubt" while far too many people became their addicted, paying customers. And that was the reason for the strategy.
They're doing it again. We can't let them get away with it. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option in an age when our politicians and media are more responsive to whoever inserts the most coins than they are to truth and reality. Each one of us must become part of the change we want to see and do our part.
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