My dad is 74 and is a climate change denier, it’s maddening. He says he doesn’t deny that it’s happening, but doesn’t think that industrialization and cars are the reason, but it’s a cycle the planet goes through every few thousand years 🤦♂️ He cites The Ice Age as proof of these long-term climate shifts and says we don’t have climate records from anything beyond like 150 or so years ago so it’s all conjecture.
My 70 year old dad is also in denial. Keeps saying it’s summer and always hot, but complaining about it lasting for 3-4 weeks this far and we’re only mid-July. Then said a week long below average streak would would help because that’s how you get average temps.
They live in NJ and I moved to Miami back in October, it’s been practically the same temperature in both places (for those not in the US, Miami is subtropical, New Jersey is 1300 miles north and has a coastal climate) for about the past month. The only difference is that it’s about 10-20% more humid down here in Florida. The “Real Feel” is always within a few degrees though. For a few days here and there it’s been hotter in NJ.
Only to have them ‘question’ the data without elaborating on why it’s bad data.
I work with a Trumper who also denies climate change, he outright declined my offer to put together evidence for him regarding climate change. These people are too old to give a shit, unfortunately.
Maybe mention the fact that this recent alarming jump is very likely due to us doing accidental geo-engineering for the last 80 years and we’ve only just stopped it.
We finally banned sulfur-laden bunker fuel globally for shipping last year. Dirtiest fuel in the world basically, all the left over crud from refineries straight into your cargo ship’s engine. Sounds like a good environmental move but, oh shit, guess what? Those sulfur aerosols the ships were pumping into the atmosphere worldwide were actually keeping surface temperatures down.
Climate scientists were shitting themselves over the temperature jump until someone made the connection. They’re still shitting themselves over it now, but at least it’s an explainable jump now.
It’s proof that fairly “trivial” changes by humans can have measurable effects on climate.
The fucked thing is he is half right. The earth DOES have cycles, and we are currently in an inter glacial period.
The thing is that we’ve royally fucked those warming and cooling cycles. The earth isn’t going to cool back down due to runaway greenhouse effects from all that extra carbon coming from cars, industrial complexes and general pollution. That’s really a simplified version but makes the point I think. Maybe someone more educated on the topic can further explain though.
I REALLY it hate when conman convince parts of the population with half truths that sound convincing because they read two lines on a Wikipedia page.
So if it’s all a cycle, ask your dad when we get dinosaurs again? Also, when will the continents grow together again? And if he says that’s different, ask why the earth can change continuously and the weather has to stay the same.
My dad is 74 and is a climate change denier, it’s maddening. He says he doesn’t deny that it’s happening, but doesn’t think that industrialization and cars are the reason, but it’s a cycle the planet goes through every few thousand years 🤦♂️ He cites The Ice Age as proof of these long-term climate shifts and says we don’t have climate records from anything beyond like 150 or so years ago so it’s all conjecture.
You could mention data about the climate thousand of years ago gleaned from ice core samples, perhaps.
You could also show this classic XKCD graphic
Hockey stick of death
My 70 year old dad is also in denial. Keeps saying it’s summer and always hot, but complaining about it lasting for 3-4 weeks this far and we’re only mid-July. Then said a week long below average streak would would help because that’s how you get average temps.
They live in NJ and I moved to Miami back in October, it’s been practically the same temperature in both places (for those not in the US, Miami is subtropical, New Jersey is 1300 miles north and has a coastal climate) for about the past month. The only difference is that it’s about 10-20% more humid down here in Florida. The “Real Feel” is always within a few degrees though. For a few days here and there it’s been hotter in NJ.
Only to have them ‘question’ the data without elaborating on why it’s bad data.
I work with a Trumper who also denies climate change, he outright declined my offer to put together evidence for him regarding climate change. These people are too old to give a shit, unfortunately.
“My mind is made up. I don’t need evidence.”
Ahh yes. The battle cry of the lazy and ignorant.
I’ve brought that up, he just says the science of it isn’t entirely accurate 🤦♂️
Maybe mention the fact that this recent alarming jump is very likely due to us doing accidental geo-engineering for the last 80 years and we’ve only just stopped it.
We finally banned sulfur-laden bunker fuel globally for shipping last year. Dirtiest fuel in the world basically, all the left over crud from refineries straight into your cargo ship’s engine. Sounds like a good environmental move but, oh shit, guess what? Those sulfur aerosols the ships were pumping into the atmosphere worldwide were actually keeping surface temperatures down.
Climate scientists were shitting themselves over the temperature jump until someone made the connection. They’re still shitting themselves over it now, but at least it’s an explainable jump now.
It’s proof that fairly “trivial” changes by humans can have measurable effects on climate.
He doesn’t listen to facts a lot of the time 😑
Really? Finally, that’s some good news. It was infuriatingly stupid.
The fucked thing is he is half right. The earth DOES have cycles, and we are currently in an inter glacial period.
The thing is that we’ve royally fucked those warming and cooling cycles. The earth isn’t going to cool back down due to runaway greenhouse effects from all that extra carbon coming from cars, industrial complexes and general pollution. That’s really a simplified version but makes the point I think. Maybe someone more educated on the topic can further explain though.
I REALLY it hate when conman convince parts of the population with half truths that sound convincing because they read two lines on a Wikipedia page.
Haha yep, he keeps clinging to that.
So if it’s all a cycle, ask your dad when we get dinosaurs again? Also, when will the continents grow together again? And if he says that’s different, ask why the earth can change continuously and the weather has to stay the same.