Fatalism over climate change could be fatal

JC Wilcox claims “We have no control over climate change.” Well, we have no complete control over flooding rivers either, but we can place sandbags and clear drainage ditches to better deal with floods. There are innumerable indications of climate change. Some of the changes might be beneficial, such as the ability to grow bananas outdoors in Sweden. But most changes will be problematic, including year-round flooding in Bangkok and dozens of other large cities. Should humans sit on their hands and do nothing just because it’s a big issue?  

Wilcox also claims, “[Climate change] is a political bandwagon: a phenomenon way beyond our ability to grasp.” Speak for yourself. If you can’t grasp the science, so be it. Scientists, however, can gauge what’s happening. That’s what they’re trained to do. Scientists have travelled to the Arctic and Antarctic and seen and measured changes there. Glaciers are receding at phenomenal rates. 

If your computer is malfunctioning, you take it to a computer specialist. You can disregard what the expert suggests, or you can say the computer is too complex for anyone to understand or fix. Or you can accept that the expert knows what he’s talking about, and heed his advice.

Ken Albertsen