Comment Piece by Zoe Hall
The Climate Change Denial
Just because we don't want it to be true doesn't mean it's not happening
I'm alright Jack..........but for how long?
We don't want to believe that climate change is real so denial is the most attractive option.
Climate change is fundamentally terrifying to human beings because we feel helpless in the face of it. The enormity of tacking the issue paralyses us and makes many of the population simply refuse to believe it is happening even in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence.
For many of us it's easy to pretend climate change isn't happening; polar bears attacking humans in a desperate bid to find food is unfortunate but not on our doorstep, likewise floods in Bangladesh, but what about the unprecedented floods in Australia or devastating forest fires in California? Has the West not learned its lesson from Hurricane Katrina?
Coalition policy isn't helping. George Osborne does the world and the economy a disservice by pretending that climate change and the economy are separate issues. They are not. The huge cost of clean-up operations after yet another bout of flooding, forest fires, storms, put a considerable burden on the economy.
Guilt over climate change affects most of us; carbon emissions from car trips and plane journeys, endless gadgets, plastic packaging etc make us bury our head in the sand further. What can little me do after all..?
We need to stick our head above the parapet and tackle the issue head on. If we don't the outcome really doesn't bear thinking about.
To view this article and James Abbott's article please also go to:
http://www.thelittlegreenmag.com/