A recent article addressed the divide between those of us who believe that the human race is indeed having a negative effect on the environment and those who think God left the planet for us to do whatever we please, regardless of the consequences.
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/07/new_study_reveals_the_secret_to_winning_over_climate_deniers/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
I found the chart most intriguing. Education and awareness was my focus when I earned my degree in Environmental Management, and it was the hurdle Vice President Gore warned us about during the training for the Climate Reality Project. The chart shows the relationship between those who are more educated on the science of Climate Change vs those who are not. It shows the tendency of those with high individualism and a low specific knowledge of climate change to being more idealistic and more eager to disregard the scientific facts.
My goal on this blog is to help steer people in the right direction, toward the top left of the graph. I want people to rally together to address what is happening now and what will or could occur in the future so we can prevent or, more probable at this point, prepare for whats coming. I want to educate those who want to understand the issues. Not brainwash. The facts speak for themselves. Its up to the individual to look for and read about and ask questions about climate change. Basically, I am hoping people don't take anything at face value--not even what I say--in the hopes that they will discover for themselves what is really happening. That is empowering to people, especially when it is not stuffed down their throats. My aim is to help people like you find the right sites, the most comprehensive information and the most respected studies so you can truly get a grasp of the damage we are causing, and the ramifications of that damage.
You will not get that education from the Heartland Institute or Fox News. They deny, throw-out obscure and untested hypotheses and cry out that those of us who believe in science are trying to kill Jesus. Please, do yourself a favor and find your info in more reputable places, from sources that are not propped up by big business and the fossil fuel industry. So many I talk with really think that I am a climate change "Chicken Little" because I believe that Climate Change is real. They are brainwashed and lazy, buying into whatever they hear Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck spout off about instead of reading the reports and studies or talking to a high school science teacher who could probably break it down into terms they would understand. These types dismiss outright without even giving a second thought. They say science is too complicated and we could't possibly understand everything, so we should do nothing.
That's dangerous, ignoring facts and the experts who have dedicated their lives to discover, understand and explain the natural world around us and the effects we are having on it, to the best of their abilities. Many think that believing science is anti-God, except in my opinion, delving into the scientific world and seeing how everything fits together, how life has evolved and flourished, how different species are dependent on each other and have their own specified niche in the Biosphere, how the air and the land and the water all interact to provide us the very elements and conditions for life as we know it... it is beautiful and awe-inspiring and, one could argue, may hint at the possibility of a higher power behind it all.
I like to think that, anyway. It makes me feel like I am a part of something bigger, something grander. It makes me think that the challenge isn't to just live on the world how ever we want, but to learn how to live in step with nature, to limit our negative impacts, to find our niche in the grand scheme so we, the human race, can live as part of the natural world and not in spite of it.
