A possibly contrarian opinion
Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2023 4:25 pm
Disclaimer first, to ward off some:
Climate change is real. Global mean temperatures are rising. Human behavior and technology is a major cause. And rising temperatures are not a good thing for the Earth.
The contrarian part: Hawaii governor Josh Green led off one of his press conferences about the wildfires by saying "climate change is here." If he had meant Hawaii's disappearing beaches due to rising seas, that would be an appropriate argument. But he was saying it in reference to the Maui and Big Island wildfires. Actual scientists, on the other hand, say that climate change had, if anything, a small effect on the wildfires. Not to mention that Hawaii's own scientists have been warning for decades that a wildfire would be the worst kind of catastrophe for the islands, which are woefully underprepared for this kind of event.
Politicians love to cover their patooties by citing shiny objects. This is one of those times. And it doesn't help in the ongoing attempt to convince skeptics about climate change when you use science to wrongfully lay blame elsewhere for your shortcomings.
Climate change is real. Global mean temperatures are rising. Human behavior and technology is a major cause. And rising temperatures are not a good thing for the Earth.
The contrarian part: Hawaii governor Josh Green led off one of his press conferences about the wildfires by saying "climate change is here." If he had meant Hawaii's disappearing beaches due to rising seas, that would be an appropriate argument. But he was saying it in reference to the Maui and Big Island wildfires. Actual scientists, on the other hand, say that climate change had, if anything, a small effect on the wildfires. Not to mention that Hawaii's own scientists have been warning for decades that a wildfire would be the worst kind of catastrophe for the islands, which are woefully underprepared for this kind of event.
Politicians love to cover their patooties by citing shiny objects. This is one of those times. And it doesn't help in the ongoing attempt to convince skeptics about climate change when you use science to wrongfully lay blame elsewhere for your shortcomings.