Seven global warming predictions that have come true
The strategy of oil industry lobbyists when it comes to climate change is to undermine trust in scientific predictions. We tend to call them “deniers,” but this doesn’t really describe the strategy accurately. The strategy is to create fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
They do this by:
- Creating their own “research” at corporate think tanks
- A false equivalence of research on both “sides” (best illustrated by John Oliver)
- Hyping fears that this will hurt jobs
- Turning it into a tribal Republican vs. Democrat issue
- Labeling predictions as “alarmism”
- And pointing out instances where predictions didn’t come true
All of this succeeds in creating fear, uncertainty, and doubt. When talking to anyone who questions climate change, we should keep in mind that the issue we’re dealing with isn’t a scientific one. It’s overcoming those aforementioned emotions.
Toward this end, let’s talk about a great New York Times article titled “Should You Trust Climate Science? Maybe the Eclipse Is a Clue” that approaches the topic from the perspective of overcoming the fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
