Climate Change

I personally believe that climate change is happening and that it is being caused by mankind releasing carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. However, I do accept the fact I may be wrong.

We need to accept that this argument cannot be won or lost. That reasonable people can interpret the same facts and draw different conclusions. I can almost hear the people who believe climate change is caused by mankind screaming at me, but they would be missing my point. If you cannot accept the possibility that you may be wrong, then how can you ask others who just as passionately believe they are right, to consider that they may be wrong. Everyone has had the experience where they were 100% certain of something, only to find out they were indeed wrong.

To restate my position, I believe that climate change is caused by mankind and that there is strong evidence supporting this belief. But I respect the opinions of others and I'm willing to listen carefully to their arguments.

I would like to make three arguments on why we should act on climate change now.

First Argument: Manage your risk.

Let's say there is a 50% chance that mankind is not causing climate change and a 50% chance that he is causing climate change. In addition, let's suppose that of that 50% chance that mankind is causing climate change, 40% of that the effects will be manageable, while the remaining 10% chance the effects will be catastrophic.

We all manage our risk. There is a small chance your house will burn down, yet you buy fire insurance. If your house does not burn down that was a waste of money, but because the impact of your house burning down would be so disruptive to your life, it is worth the cost.

The 10% chance of widespread destruction from climate change is enough to begin taking measures that will mitigate the impact.

Second Argument: Keep Your Options Open.

If we started today, it would be many years, perhaps decades, before we could reverse the impact of climate change.

If climate change was the type of problem that could be solved in six months or even a year, then perhaps we could wait. But it will take many years, even decades, before we can reverse the impact of human activity on our climate.

Let’s face it, we are not going to wake up tomorrow and stop driving our cars, flying in airplanes, or heating our homes. Even the people who vigorously believe we need to act now, are responsible for admitting some greenhouse gasses. It is going to take a long time and a considerable effort to change our lifestyles.

If we wait for 100% certainty, it will be far too late. Let us start now, so if needed we will have more time and options in the future.

Third Argument: Invest in Technology.

There is no question that burning fossil fuels is less expensive in the short term. Making the changes necessary to reduce emissions will require a significant investment. However, investment into clean alternative energy does come with its own economic advantages.

Making investments into clean energy will not only lead to reduced cost but we will also discover ways to overcome some of the shortcomings. We will find ways to increase reliability, ways to store the energy more efficiently and for longer periods, ways to deliver the energy where and when it is needed. We know that when we invest in technology, we find ways to reduce cost and improve performance. We also find benefits we never imagined.

These are my three basic arguments, not if climate change is happening, I’ll leave that up to others. But if you believe it or not, does it not make sense to:

1) Manage your Risk

2) Keep Your Options Open

3) Invest in Technology

Thank you for considering these three steps.