The denial of proven science is making the world a much worse place to live, for all of us. There, I said it- the fact that large groups of people feel compelled to refute proven facts due to their personal beliefs is a major factor in the degradation of our modern world. There are many issues involving science denial, including new diseases due to anti-vaccination movements and the pollution of water supplies due to companies who ignore scientific studies regarding their chemicals, but the most pressing issue of this kind is climate change. With global temperatures setting records for heat in the summers and for cold in the winters, and with massive superstorms like Typhoon Haiyan destroying billions of dollars in property and killing thousands of people, climate change is a difficult thing to deny. However, despite huge amounts of scientific evidence, a group of millions of people choose to actively state that this is not occurring in our modern world. Regardless of their supposed evidence, much of which stems from minimization of statistical evidence and impossible research standards, these science deniers are impeding the ability of scientists and governments to act on issues important to the modern world such as climate change.
Numerous scientists have stated that unless carbon emissions are slashed by nearly 40% by the year 2025, we will reach a so-called “point of no return” after which there will be permanent damage to the world in which we live. Many estimates state that this damage could reach the trillions of dollars within a decade, not to mention the emotional toll as millions of people lose their homes to rising sea levels. Despite this, the rate of climate change denial is actively rising. America, the nation that is according to numerous scientific studies the #1 producer of carbon emissions in the last two centuries, has a government in which numerous government figures refuse to act on the issues at hand with regard to climate change. Their reasoning behind this varies- some say that an interpretation of the bible nullifies the science of climate change, while others are simply pandering to their political base. Some extremist climate change deniers even claim that science and mathematics have absolutely no meaning and will never sway their beliefs! Gary Bates, the chairman of a science denial organization, has said numerous times in interviews that “Whether a chain of numbers or symbols has a meaning is not taken into consideration.” The sheer stubbornness and lack of willingness to change illustrated in this quote shows the core problem with a large number of these science and climate change deniers- they refuse to acknowledge the fact that scientific evidence could possibly be legitimate if it disagrees with their beliefs. While having a strong belief system is, in most cases, a good thing, an essential part of having strong beliefs is an openness to change if someone presents an opinion or evidence that is different than what you believe. The large majority of climate change deniers have refused to do so, and if this trend persists then any measures proposed to curtail climate change will fall short. Stopping climate change is essentially the most important issue in the world right now with regards to us, the teenagers who will soon be inheriting our parents’ earth. Sadly, there is very little the majority of us can do to help stop this trend of denial, but there is one thing- make your voice heard. Write a letter to your congressmen, governors, or even the president himself, and tell them about how and why you care about climate change. Even the strongest rock can be worn down by a river, and if us teenagers actually get out and support this cause it’s entirely possible that we just might turn the tide of climate change and science denial and make the world of the future a better place for everyone in it.