I had lunch with an acquaintance the other day, who said "there was no such thing as global warming." Actually, the statement was qualified by "my husband says."
I quickly straightened her out. "That's not even up for argument," I told her, "not according to credible scientists. Anyone with any degree of credibility who's looked at the science agrees; there IS global warming." The question really is, is it caused by human activity, I explained (blessedly refraining from calling over one of those scientists, even though I could probably have tossed up a rock and hit one, being as we were in Oxford).
I went on, explaining even that wasn't an either/or question, instead, it's how much of global warming is caused by human activity and how much is merely due to cyclical change in climate. And even then, you have to define "human activity": does that include the vast amounts of bovine-produced methane, a contributor to greenhouse gas? Since billions of cows are raised for human consumption, I would argue it does.
By then even my eyes were glazing over, and my soup was growing cold, so I stopped right there.
Anyway, the point was, it's a complicated question, often reduced in airport conversation to the simplistic "there's no such thing as global warming" and a citation from some "expert" ("my brother-in-law" is a favorite source, I've noticed.)
I'm no scientist, but I often read the Gristmill, where today I read someone else has come across the same arguments. Tim Lambert knows a lot more about global warming than me, and has debunked the skeptics (commenting on the book The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery).
Of course, no amount of science will convince an ideological skeptic. (After all, do we really have proof the world is not flat? Do we?) Their wives, sisters-in-law, etc., however, may be convinceable. Which really is my point: seize teachable moments. Just don't let your soup get cold.
