Climate change denial

Climate change denial as the name suggests is the dismissal, denial or unwarranted doubt which contradicts the scientific opinions on climate change, the extent to which it’s caused by humans and how it impacts humans as well as the nature. Lots of scientists believe that human activity is the chief driver of the change in climate however, the politics of global warming has been hindering the efforts of preventing climate change.

Who are the climate change deniers?

If you are new to this concept, you must be wondering are climate change deniers countries, organizations or people? Well, these are mostly individuals from giant organizations like Americans of Prosperity, CFACT, and The Heartland Institute. They take contributions from fossil fuel corporations, who are responsible for blocking or delaying substantial government policy initiative to curb fossil fuel emission or the growth of cleaner and cheaper energy resources like solar power or the wind.

Senator James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, is one of the prominent deniers of climate change.  He has received over $2 million from fossil fuel industry in the name of political contributions. Marc Morano, Chris Horner, Steve Milloy, Myron Ebell, Patrick Michaels, Bjorn Lomborg, Matt Ridely, Christopher Monckton, Roy Spencer and Fred Singer are other prominent names in the list of deniers.

Why Americans particularly deny climate change?

The United States of America among many other industrialized democracies hosts a higher proportion of climate change deniers. Why? Because these climate change deniers simply want to protect the status quo that made them rich. Don’t take my word for it there are multiple studies that prove this point.  A study on nature climate change in 2012 presented evidence of how the ordinary people discern the stances towards scientific information to secure their personal interests. Another paper mentioned that conservative white males favor the protection of the current industrial capitalist system because it has served them well, historically.

The risk is increasing drastically

Half of the world may be denying the need to improve the climate, but countries Like Sweden are at the forefront of tackling climate change. The country has been fighting the global battle of climate change for a long time. Sweden has earned the reputation of an environmental pioneer because of its proactive moves in the 1960s and 70s. It was the first country to establish an Environmental Protection Agency. It even hosted the first United Nations conference on the environment in 1972 because of which UNEP was formed.

Despite the effort, there has been a havoc of fire in the countryside and forests of Sweden over the past years. Increase in the average annual temperature is responsible for such forest fires. Evidence is piling up and global warming is becoming all more obvious but still, there aren’t enough measures to change the politics.

It is high time all nations globally take a look at the issue of global warming and how our individual habits are taking a toll on this planet. Even though people agree they want to leave a better Earth for their future generations but they don’t really act on it. We need to take a look at why people are stopping the necessary political changes, create awareness programs and then develop a necessary course of action.