Instead use "Climate Change"

Do you want to know an easy way to stop Global Warming?  It's simple, just tell everyone you know to stop using the term!  Instead, insist they say Climate Change.  I bet you thought I was going to tell you to turn off your lights,  drive and fly less, monitor your carbon footprint, etc.  Well, all of that may be important, but first let me vent about the extremely poor marketing done by "Global Warming" believers.

We normally steer clear of Global Warming and Climate Change discussion on Mapawatt because it is hard enough to convince people to conserve energy and water and live more sustainably as it is, without having to get into a "manmade vs. natural" discussion.  I expressed our strategy in my post written a little over a year ago titled "I've solved Climate Change" in which I tried to convince Americans (at least the few hundred that read the blog) to focus on a Fossil Fuel Reduction strategy, instead of arguing over "Global Warming".  I'm partial, but I particularly like how I stated the stance in our post "What you need to know about the Climate Change Debate" in which I said:

"The point here is that we try and stay outside the Climate Change debate because sometimes people get too caught up in the debate and can’t see the forest through the trees (this is especially true if they have plans on cutting the trees down).

The advice we give adheres to the three principles below:

  1. Save energy and water because it saves you money
  2. Save energy and water because it improves the environment (with or without Climate Change, this is true)
  3. Live more sustainably because it improves your life, the lives of those around you, and the lives of those yet born (side note: The original post had “yet unborn” and here is my sister’s response: “so are you talking about future zombies”.  Thanks for the heads up sis!)

These are facts.  There is no debate about these principles.

You may be a Sustainability Scrooge and say “Bah Humbug” to living sustainably.  If this is you aren’t the type of person for this blog, you are probably an unhappy person, and there is a chance the emptiness you sometimes feel inside of you is due to the lack of connection you feel with those around you and the earth.  But I digress….

Here is what we will say on Climate Change:  There are few natural systems that we know of that will continue to operate in harmony when an external force is acting on them.  The climate is a natural system.  The CO2 and other greenhouse gasses we are pumping into this system are an external force.  This has or will eventually cause the climate to deviate from its natural state.  We are not defining “eventually” nor quantifying “deviate”...."

I challenge anyone to argue (and win) the stance laid out above.

So where am I going with all of this?  Today I read the following in a Mother Nature Network email newsletter:

Could global warming be making winters colder?
A new report from NOAA says the wild winters are apparently occurring because of global warming, not despite it.

Now, I'm pretty well read on said topic, but even to me, this blurb in the newsletter sounds like a bunch of hullabaloo.  Yes, I understand the logic behind it and that scientists say that the fact that the earth is warming is causing the climate to change.  And I know the good people at Mother Nature Network knew what they were doing when they wrote the title to catch people's attention.  They even responded to my comments about the topic and pointed me to this article in the NY Times titled "Bundle Up, It's Global Warming" (which I appreciate!).

The NT Times article basically says that as the oceans heat up, more moisture is released in the atmosphere, which causes more snow fall in places like "high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Siberia, just north of a series of exceptionally high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas, the Tien Shan and the Altai.".  This increased snow fall causes cooling in these places (snow reflects more sunlight) which eventually affects the jet stream and cools some places like "the Eastern United States, Northern Europe and East Asia".  So I at least understand the logic (I think).

But let's be honest, the majority of the people in the U.S.  just don't understand why the winter is so damned cold when scientists (and Al Gore - whose name is usually mentioned by the non-scientists I know in a goofy, patronizing voice) tell them the earth is warming.  And no, we don't have to sit them down and take them through a complicated science lesson which explains how a butterfly flapping its wings in the jungle causes a tornado in Kansas.  We just need better marketing.

The quickest way to solve this marketing problem, is to remove "Global Warming" from the lexicon and instead use "Climate Change".  I have an engineering degree, and the only reason I say this is to tell you that I know scientists (i.e. professors) love to make things way more complicated than they are.  My message to those who want to promote the idea that man's actions are causing the global mean temperature to rise:  adjust your message in order to gain its acceptance!

Make sure to keep reading because next week I'm going to criticize scientists for having lousy climate models!

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Comments

The climate (weather) is always changing. "Climate change" therefore sounds like an attempt to misuse language to hide a political agenda. There is also a very real but hidden religious component to this. In Genesis 1:26 God makes man to rule over all life and the earth itself. Ruling over means being in control of. If man's use of energy and material resources alters the planets' climate, that is allowed under that command. Leaving the earth in charge the like native Americans did, would be a violation of that command. The New Testament is full of Jesus teaching about being good stewards of the Masters' property. So trashing the planet is not allowed, either. Good stewardship is pretty universally understood, but there is an irreconcilable divide between those who view humanity as caretakers for God and those who worship the earth itself as God "Gaia" and those who deny there is a God at all but in truth worship "Science" as God. The internet is also full of people who attack the personal character of anyone who believes that the Universe is not an accident. Science cannot prove or disprove God, since if there is a God, He is beyond the reach of man unless He allows otherwise. The "global change" movement is full of people like that. Then there are politicians involved in this. This generation is full of self-serving jerks who see political power as a way of getting ahead for themselves, instead of serving the people who they rule over. Religious and non-religious people alike have become rightly cynical and distrustful of government and the money system. People are tired of being lied to and no longer believe or care what politicians say. Science has rightly lost much of it's public trust because so-called 'scientists' deny God even though that is not within the realm of science to do so, and by getting caught lying over and over. That loss of trust is not likely to come back anytime soon. Ape-men hoaxes http://www.darwinism-watch.com/index.php?git=makale&makale_id=1580 Glomar Explorer Hoax http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSF_Explorer When the US wanted to raise a sunken Soviet nuclear sub, they got the press and scientists to go along with an elaborate scam that said there were manganese nodules on the ocean floor. The ship Glomar Explorer was built to raise the Soviet sub, but everyone was told it would be used to explore the oceans and develop mining techniques, so the Soviets wouldn't get suspicious and get in the way. Popular Mechanics and Popular Science ran fake science articles about the non-existent nodules. The hoax even caused international trouble when nations began to argue over who owned the mineral rights to deep oceans in international waters. Then of course there is the East Anglia hoax. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/6679082/Climate-change-this-is-the-worst-scientific-scandal-of-our-generation.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Global_cooling Global cooling was taught when I was in high school, but is now ridiculed. Even Wikipedia can't publish a neutral article about it because the truth is "science" flip-flops and has become untrustworthy. Forget about climate anything. I have solar panels and batteries as backup for extended power outages following hurricanes. Conservation saves me money. I don't drive more than I need to because I want to keep my hard earned money. I bought an electric assist bicycle so I can get to work if there is another gas price spike or my work hours get cut again and I can't afford to buy gas. If I suspect preaching at me about fraudulent science I will simply ignore you.
I believe that you are (and have been) on the right track. To make it even easier, why not just stick to "Sustainable Living". The climate and its historic fluctuations between hot and cold do not have to enter into the picture (with or without man). We lose track of what IS happening when we get into politics, personalities, and passions. However, there can be no argument against your three principles as stated above.
Right on Chris! In my personal conversations on the topic, I have been very concious of the loaded phrase "Global Warming" and I endeavor to use "Climate Change" instead. Here in Maine we have had some interesting climate changes, such as the plant growing season coming earlier each year, and more snowfall in the winter, ice-out of the lakes earlier in the spring, etc... As you know my web site has over 100 pages devoted to my sustainable living practices. Not ONCE do I even mention the word "climate" ( well maybe once). While I do believe that humans are creating the problem, I also believe - as you do - that it is pragmatic to just get down to the business of altering our living practices to being more sustaibalbe. If we can all do that, then the climate issue will resolve itself eventually (hopefully). There is very little doubt in my mind that future generations will be profoundly impacted my the impending climate effects that we are creating, it's simply a matter of degree. Just look at NASAs excellent climate web page: http://climate.nasa.gov/
The truth is we need to get the big polluters to stop. The USA produces 25% of the world's pollution, and only has 4% of the world population - and yet it is one of the countries with the cheapest fuel - double/triple the gas price to start and you'll be amazed how people can quickly alter their ways. People will drive more carefully, choose more fuel-economic cars, and start buying locally produced organic foods (that are cheaper to deliver). We can talk Climate Change until the cows come home - but it's simply "too expensive" to change our ways ... so make living the "status quo" expensive. Use the extra tax on gas and fuel to invest in alternative energy. My 2c worth. Tony
ckmapawatt's picture
Tony, while I dont think double/triple the gas price would ever work (it wouldn't just be political suicide, but political massacre). I do believe the U.S. needs to increase the gasoline tax to lower our foreign oil consumption, reduce sprawl, and lower emissions. I laid it out here: http://mapawatt.com/2010/03/21/gasoline-tax/
Dear Chris. I agree with you and after 3 years of attempting to show people that climate change is a reality, I have adopted a new term, Environmental Destruction. There is absolutely no doubt that we are destroying the very systems that support human life on earth. This no matter whether we use terms like Global Warming, Global Weirding or Climate Change. Yet we forget that there are alternatives that are cheaper, more planet friendly and easy (!) to implement. We must always remember that we have been lent the earth by our children, not given it by our parents. We need to safeguard this earth for our children. When I tell people I can help them reduce their carbon footprint by 10% per annum, they don't believe me. We can actually dramatically reduce our cost of living and increase our wealth if us consumers decide to work together to make our world a better place. We think we can't do anything, but that is because our politicians and big business have told us that we need to be separate to be free. But they collude and work together and why shouldn't we? There is no further time to waste. If 100 people in a particular area need solar water heaters or energy efficient fridges or need to do grocery shopping and they do it together, they will automatically get better service and better prices. Why do we think we have to do things alone to remain free? Let's avoid further environmental destruction. Regards David
ckmapawatt's picture
I agree 100%. If I had my way, politicians would mention "Climate Change" only as a symptom of the disease, which is environmental degradation. The fact is, we just hit 7 billion people and aren't slowing down. How do non-sustainable believers think the earth is going to handle this load? Keep up the good work!

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