The Biggest Myth About Climate Change (3)
limited specifically to one small area in northern Europe
are enough to pull the four-dimensional checkmate
on climate scientists, well, they're not.
Every single one of these factors, and a whole lot more,
is included in modern climate models.
And the only way to make those models match up
with the warming we're actually seeing
is by including human activities.
And when we do include human activities,
the net total of all the warming and cooling effects
that scientists know about, shows that Earth's energy budget
is way in the positive.
We're drowning in extra Peloton inventory here, people.
Only these Pelotons will make the planet unlivable
for your children and grandchildren.
We can do better!
Modern climate change is due mainly to human activity,
specifically our insatiable thirst
for putting extra greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
And there are ways that we can tell
that extra CO2 that's entered the atmosphere
since the Industrial Revolution came from fossil fuels,
and not volcanoes or whatever,
thanks to the ratios of different isotopes of carbon
in the atmosphere's CO2.
I covered exactly what that means,
and why it's the smoking gun for human-caused climate change
in this video up there,
but in many ways that's beside the point.
An extra debunking that would just feel like piling on now.
But you should go watch it.
Just not yet. I'm almost done.
The point is, this comment is so frustrating
because no serious person really wonders
whether climate change is happening,
or really even why it's happening.
According to researchers at Yale who track beliefs
and attitudes around climate change over time,
Americans who think global warming is happening
outnumber those who think it is not happening
by a ratio of six to one.
And more than half of Americans understand
that global warming is mostly human-caused.
Comments like this, if you ask me,
are really just a new type of climate denial,
designed to make you think,
"Hey, climate change has happened before!
It's been hot! It's been cold!
All these other times it happened, it wasn't our fault!
So there's no reason to worry or do anything!"
Except they always forget to mention one key thing.
Humans didn't exist during
basically all of those other times.
Well guess what, Neo. You do exist.
This is real. It's happening.
Don't let them trick you into accepting the status quo,
that as we sit down to drink our coffee
in the middle of a burning world,
that this is all somehow actually fine.
Because it isn't fine. And it isn't normal.
Because what they really want you to forget
is that if we are the cause of all this,
then we can be the solution too.
Don't you forget that.
I actually hope for the day when I or my grandchildren
can say, "Yeah, climate change actually is totally caused
by natural cycles," and have it be true,
because that will mean we did what we have to do,
and we fixed this.
Stay curious.
And just one more thing.
Wanna tell you about the newest show
we think you're gonna love in the PBS family
called "America Outdoors: Understory"
with Baratunde Thurston.
From episodes on surfing scientists combating climate change
to the scorched desolate beauty of death valley,
this show explores our passionate and complex relationship
with the natural world.
Check out the link in the description,
tell 'em that "Be Smart" sent you.
Oops, that was a good warmup. I wanna start over.
♪ Climate change would make it natural ♪
♪ Bing ♪
♪ File break ♪
- [Crew Member] Cut.
(Joe imitates clapper clicking)
Thanks.
- This is fun. You should just complain more.
Reinvent the show is a sassy complaining.
