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Conspiracies, Climate and Communication
Posted by: Solitaire Townsend
This is a long post and will take about five mins to read. Thanks if you do.
In the last 10 days Futerra has been swept up in ‘climategate’. Prompted by a hack into UEA scientist emails, climategate is a suspiciously timely furore about IPCC climate science. See Ed’s blog posts from this week to hear the backstory on our Rules of the Game document found in the UEA emails.
This post is mainly about Futerra role in all this. But a quick word on climategate itself. The most horrifying revelation from these poor chaps personal emails is that scientists are human too. Backbiting, conceited, occasionally witty and a bit bitchy. Just like any other industry then. As the Economist put it this week “none of this is evidence of fraud. Looked at broadly, the e-mails seem to show a pretty workaday picture of scientists, with frustrations and sloppinesses, disagreements, opponents badmouthed, and cultural differences bridged”.
The absolutely best thing that could come out of this would be the IPCC, or even UEA itself to post all the raw climate data online. That would cause a quagmire of infringed scientific confidentiality, academic intellectual property rows and even national security issues (some data is from military sources). But post it all anyway. Then everyone can have a look. And if you can come up with another theory to explain the data good luck to you.
But that’s not why I’m writing. I put my own picture on this blog post because I’m writing personally. And unlike some of the hate mail we’ve received this week I’m happy for you to know who I am. The Telegraph has also jumped into the fray against Futerra again today but I do respect that at least they aren’t anonymous attackers.
So in my own voice I want to get one thing straight; I hate climate change. I really really hate it and wish it wasn’t happening. Some of the climategate posts seem to imply we’re part of a ‘pro’ climate conspiracy. Considering how deeply and passionately I wish the darn thing wasn’t happening that accusation left me fish-mouthing in surprise. I don’t want climate change, I don’t like climate change, and I’m bloody annoyed that my best years will be spent trying to combat the darn thing.
The horrible irony is how much I want the deniers to be right. If I had one wish it would be for climate change to be untrue, a blip, misread data, to slope off in embarrassment. If only.
Hate messages and freedoms
One of the main accusations is that we’re part of a lefty communist conspiracy to undermine peoples way of life. Considering how often I’m accused by the left of being a compromised sell-out because I work with businesses and faith groups this also came as a surprise. I rather wish I was part of a conspiracy (left or right), it sounds quite exciting.
My grandfather was an American veteran of the second world war. My mother was born in Indiana and unlike most English schoolchildren I tasted the respect and awe for freedom that sits at the heart of the American dream. What most Europeans get wrong is assuming the American dream is of a big ‘ole house, fat car and fat refrigerator. Not true, the American dream means freedom.
That’s why some climate messages rub people up the wrong way (and that’s putting it politely considering the personal attacks I’ve had). Some climate messages can be smug and worthy, demanding that you give up things you value. Again I’m surprised because freedom is exactly what climate change threatens. Maybe you think the corporations, or big government, the EU, or the UN is a freedom-eater. Baby, you should meet climate change.
A world that hits 2 degree warming will strip our freedoms from us. Climate change is the enemy of freedom and that’s why I work to try and stop it in it’s tracks.
Why do I care?
I’m not an environmentalist really. If climate change only threatened wildlife, or habitats then I’d probably donate some money to help protect them, but I wouldn’t work like a crazy woman for the cause. I try to defeat climate change because of people.
Every year at Christmas I get to spend time with my family. And every year I get a bit scared when we sit around the table and talk about what I do. My parents, grandparents, sisters and family aren’t experts, but they can see what’s happening.
They ask about my trip to the Arctic and I tell them about the sound of climate change. The squeaking and popping as the ice melts and great hunks smash into the water with a roar abnormal in that quiet place.
We discuss the irony of man made climate change being so much less scary than natural climate change because it means we can stop it. A natural cause of such fast and furious climate change means a likely death sentence for a lifestyle I love. Pray we’re causing climate change so you can stop it.
We talk about how proud I am of British scientists, British entrepreneurs and British negotiators who are considered around the world to be leading the fight (even if they don’t get much acclaim back home).
But this year those Christmas conversations will be the hardest. It’s my baby niece Grace’s first Christmas. We’ll all be just that little bit more scared for her, and for her future. But it’s ok to be scared. Unchecked climate change is terrifying, but so is what we need to do to stop it.
That’s why the hate mail is ok. Climategate is a perfect excuse to ignore the problem. Another reason to look in a different direction. I don’t blame people for seizing on it.
Thankfully there are millions who are also scared to act, and scared to not too, but are brave enough to fight climate change anyway.
I salute you.Comments are closed on this thread.
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"I hate climate change. I really really hate it and wish it wasn't happening."I've got some terrible news for you: the climate is changing, it has always changed and it will always change. The earth is not in stasis and it never was.You might as well go to the beach and hate the tide for coming in.
Hate mail and criticism, is that the best people can do? Are the people writing these things trying to do anything better themselves? I think not. When will people realise that climate change is something that needs to combine a whole lot of different approaches? Can we not grow up a bit and show respect for somebody even if their approach is not your own?Perhaps the main thing climate change should highlight is that we should start working together and find spaces for these different approaches to evolve together rather than trying to knock each other down.
You're right Obnoxio, the climate always changes - depending on solar activity and earth's distance from the sun. What Soli is talking about is the man-made changes we've seen since the Industrial Revolution.Love this blog Soli, needed to be said.
Obnoxio The Clown: every change in the climate in the past has been natural but this is unnatural and forced by us. In the past the world has been able to recover because nothing was every truly gone, if we carry on like this we will destroy the world forever and nothing will be able to live again...EVER. That is not natural! Everything made by nature is able to die and become the earth again, everything made by man stays around in dumps forever which is obviously bad for our planet. As a mother myself I wish the best for our world to sustain life for as long as possible. If you feel passionate for something, don’t put your passions in something that is doing you no harm, put your energy into something productive. This planet is dying and even if you don’t believe it, it doesn’t matter we have to try just in case.
By making Excuses to justify Fraud and Deception, you should look at yourself how Low your ethics and morals have become, you are that low that you will never buy my respect.You have badly interwoven freedom into this; we should have the “Freedom of Information” to all the original data, which has been deleted. Freedom to enslave ‘children’ into paying taxes for agency trading scams, etc.If you have a mental disease, which causes you to alarm others with speculative, unsubstantiated theories and other rubbish, then keep it to yourself, or find and asylum, trust me you will be happier.
Well said Soli - Bless you. When you've been in this game as long as I have, you come to accept that one day you're a hero - next day a villain. Comes with the territory.
A psychologist friend of mine said this week: 'When I put myself in the shoes of the sceptic, I feel an immediate sense of relief. How much more comfortable is the reality that none of this is happening. How glad I'd be if the scientists, and all their measurements, were wrong. It isn't just an inconvenient truth we're facing, but one that can feel psychologically unacceptable'.