Page 41 - Standard Indicators for the social appropriation of science

increased frequency of heatwaves in those change. They also play on our emotions as
same areas. Deniers also point out that plants many of us don’t like change and can feel we
need atmospheric carbon dioxide to grow so are living in the best of times – especially if we
having more of it acts like a fertiliser. This are richer or in power.
is indeed true, and the land biosphere has
been absorbing about a quarter of our carbon Some deniers maintain that climate change
dioxide pollution every year. Another quarter is not generated by humans because CO
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of our emissions is absorbed by the oceans. is denser than air and remains low, so it
But losing massive areas of natural vegetation cannot generate such effects. How would
through deforestation and changes in land use you refute such an argument?
completely nullifies this minor fertilisation effect. CO may be denser than air, but it will not stay
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Climate change deniers will tell you that more because if not, we could not breathe. If it was
people die of the cold than heat, so warmer really denser than nitrogen, oxygen, etc., what
winters will be a good thing. This is deeply would happen is that it would be at ground
misleading. Vulnerable people die of the cold level and we would not be here breathing and
because of poor housing and not being able to talking.
afford to heat their homes. Society, not climate, CO is distributed in a non-homogeneous way
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kills them. in the troposphere, (the lowest and dense layer
of the atmosphere), but obviously the point is
4. Political denial. Climate change deniers that it is capturing that heat at the tropospheric
argue we cannot take action because other level. It does not go up to the stratosphere, or
countries are not taking action. But not all the ionosphere, of course. In fact, in one of the
countries are equally guilty of causing current evidences that supports climate change is that,
climate change. from the troposphere to the stratosphere, what
is called the tropopause, much less heat comes
For example, 25 percent of the human- out, that is, it is retained within. The layers
produced CO in the atmosphere is generated of the atmosphere are segmented in some
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by the US, another 22 percent is produced by way, like this famous ozone layer (which has
the EU. Africa produces just under 5 percent. nothing to do with climate change), so there
5. Crisis denial. The final piece of climate you can see that the bulk of this accumulation
change denial is the argument that we should of heat and the greenhouse effect occurs in the
not rush into changing things, especially given troposphere, but CO does not stay at ground
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the uncertainty raised by the other four areas level. CO is diluted, mixed and air also has
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of denial above. circulatory components that go far beyond the
determination by its own density, just like fluid
Deniers argue that climate change is not as issues. There are winds, currents, storms that
bad as scientists make out. We will be much go much further than whether the density is a
richer in the future and better able to fix climate little higher or a little lower.

Online resources

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
2. Global Climate Change Vital Signs of the Planet, NASA (USA)
3. Climate Kids, NASA (USA)
4. Teaching climate, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA) 5.
Climate.gov Science and Information for a Climate-smart Nation
6. Eurobarometer Climate Change 2019, European Commission
7. Global Climate Change: What You Need to Know, Melissa Denchack, 2017,
NRDC
8. Climate Change and You, European Commission
9. Causes and Effects of Climate Change, National Geographic, Youtube
10. Is it too late to stop climate change?, Kurzgesagt, YouTube
11. Climate change impacts in Europe, European Environmental Agency,
YouTube

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