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The Climate Debate: Opposing Viewpoints
There are varying and sometimes opposing views on the subject of climate change.
The “Reactive” View:
Reducing our energy consumption will depress the economy, eliminate jobs, and constrain our lifestyles.
 People who hold this view often believe that the ‘Science’ of climate change is not yet proven, and believe that the (overwhelmingly) negative impacts of climate change will either be very small, or might even be beneficial. This view suggests taking no action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or adapt to climate change, until the full climate change theory is proven beyond any scientific doubt.
The “Proactive” View:
Taking action is justified, as the consequences of climate change are becoming severe regionally and globally.
People who hold this view believe that we need to be responsible global citizens, who take precautions against existing and anticipated climate impacts (an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure). There are many no-cost/low cost and innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as:
- reducing car idling
- replacing SUVs with smaller more energy efficient cars
- Renewable Energy:
- energy efficiency (replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones)
- and the market trading of carbon credits through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
Common Myths About Human-Induced Atmospheric Climate Change
Climate Change is a complex scientific issue, and is somewhat hard to explain partly because the link between the cause (i.e., burning fossil fuels) and the effect (changes in climate and the environment) is not immediately evident.
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