By Maeve Hogel
In preparation for COP 20 in Lima, we’ve been learning about the difficulties that arise in climate change negotiations. For such a global problem, we need a global effort and it’s hard to get that many nations, cultures and peoples on the same page.
However, even within the United States, we still aren’t on the same page. Despite all of the data and statistics showing that the planet is warming, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan said today that we still don’t know if humans are causing climate change. When asked in a debate if humans were the cause of climate change, Ryan said “I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t think science does either.”
To all climate change deniers, our favorite science guy, Bill Nye, says perfectly, “that living things change through a process that Darwin and Wallace calls natural selection. Those are facts. Tectonic plates move and that’s a fact. And the world is getting warmer because of human activity. And thats a fact.”
[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkR3TI6xyzU” ratio=”4:3″]
Maeve, I love Bill Nye, he is a great spokesman for science! Marsha Blackburn also strikes a cord with me as a fellow Tennessean (although we don’t like her).
I have a question for you about Bill Nye. He seems to constantly be showing up as the voice of climate change on news networks. Do you think that this single voice is good for the movement or detrimental?
It seems to me like he is becoming like Al Gore now is, a bit old news. How do we best utilize someone like him who obviously wants to be helpful?
Will, I think you make a great point. In many ways I think Bill Nye as sort of the “voice of climate change” is a good thing. He’s a figure that our generation associates with reliable science and taught us so many lessons as kids. At the same time, he is a celebrity and there is no doubt that becoming this single voice, as you mention, is great for his publicity. Unfortunately, we live in a society that is more likely to stop and listen when its being said by someone like Bill Nye or Al Gore. Because of that, I think its vital to the movement to utilize someone like Bill Nye to spread the word and the correct facts.
Maeve, I grew up watching Bill Nye “the science guy” in my elementary science classes, you probably did as well, and since then I have been a huge fan. Flash forward to our college years and we are STILL watching him as he talks about a subject that we are studying. There is nothing more frustrating to me than “non-believers”. Have you seen this clip from John Oliver?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuGCJJUGsg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
After watching that I realized it doesn’t matter how many people believe in climate change or not, it is a fact and it is happening now. Instead of focusing on the polls and numbers of believers and non believers we must take action.
I love the clip of John Oliver’s ‘statistically representative climate change debate.’ It’s humorous, while also making an important point about the way the media has presented scientific views on climate change — giving the false sense that scientists are split 50-50. Thanks for sharing this Will.