What Do Florence, Global Warming, “Truth” and Social Media Have in Common?

Like many families, some of my close relatives and I are on opposite sides of political debates. Our family, however, prides itself on our ability to always remember that while we might disagree, we can do so in a civil way, refraining from personal attacks that dominates social media and the culture at large. We are still family. I still love those in my family who I disagree with politically. 

Climate Change? Yes, It’s Real!

But that is not the important question. The debate is not whether climate change is real or not, it is whether man is causing the change and if it will lead to the demise of our species.

Climate change is real, but that is nothing new. The problem is that we as humans have no perspective. Our focus on climate change is based on data of the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from the time Homo sapiens came on the scene, around 100,000 years ago. In 1800, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was about 280 ppm, which is the level it had been for most of human history. Today, it is around 400 ppm. The scientific consensus is that the burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the industrial revolution is the cause. And if the CO2 level is rising, we assume this will lead to a change in the climate that on balance will negatively affect human kind and our ability to survive.