In which I, Miss Ranty McRantypants, am controversial amongst the liberals.

[averygoodun42]

"Global warming" is a term that needs to die a swift and very public death. It is at best misleading, and at worst diverting.

The Arctic is warming. Climates are changing. Those are irrefutable facts. Another fact is that weather records only go back a couple hundred years, which is approximately a nanosecond (and I'm being generous) in terms of a global timescale. Hell, it's only a nanosecond in terms of ice-age cycles!

Yes, the ice samples taken from Antarctica give evidence that there hasn't been a drastic warming like this seen, well, ever. But, well, they also recently uncovered evidence that, under approximately a mile of ice, there's a MONSTER canyon in Greenland that was formed by river erosion, like the Grand Canyon, rather than by glaciers. And that points to the arctic going through occasional severe warming periods.

Basically, the global climate is an amazingly complex interweaving of regional climates (with each regional climate being an amazingly complex interweaving of millions of factors) that we have only started to assess in any meaningful way. Kinda like studying biology in the early 1800's.

That said, the main reason I HATE, LOATHE and DESPISE the term "Global Warming" is because it is so easily dismissed.

"Oh yeah, global warming is a real serious issue," the chucklehead jokes as they put on their warmest coats to go shovel the last two feet of snow dumped on them.

But, well, climate change did bring in the cold and the unusual snowfalls. It is a serious issue that's going to continue impacting billions of people.

Is climate change coming from greenhouse gasses we're pumping into the air? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Correlation does not equal causation. If it did, then there would be a case against vaccinations due to their link with autism (which is purely correlative; they have definitely disproved the purported causation link).

That said, should we work hard to severely limit future greenhouse gasses pumped into the air? HELL YES!!! Not only because they could be causing climate change, but because they have been proven, over and over and over again, to be bad for us individually and collectively!!!

But let's lead that charge with hyping up "Climate Change" rather than "Global Warming"! Because only the most stubborn, obtuse or money-grubbing will deny that the climate is changing.

(Though really, how about we lead the charge with something that's closer to home/more relatable? Like, oh, the pandemic spread of asthma and other bronchial diseases; the increase in cancers and immune disorders; the dying fishing industries worldwide; etc.)

Comments

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

(Hello, saw you on my friends-of-friends page; we connect via zalena.)

Agreed! All us scientists say 'climate change' nowadays, for exactly the reasons you cite.

Some also say "global weirding" as a play on "global warming", to emphasize that the increased amount of heat energy trapped in the atmosphere leads to greater variability and intensity in the weather, which is how you can get nasty super-cold polar vortices even though the system as a whole is 'warming'.

Feel free to bandy this imprimatur of authority about when trying to persuade people to change their ways. :)

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

(I recognized you from zalena's page!)

My dad is a retired meteorologist/cloud physicist who is in the minority about the cause of climate change (he thinks anthropogenic climate change research is very flawed, for instance), but, from the very beginning, he's been opposed to the term "Global Warming" because it's so deceptive. He's far more worried about what we're doing to the oceans than the atmosphere, and from what I see, with good reason.

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Language is very much a political tool. People who prefer short gain/convenience to long-term global impact use "global warming" instead of "climate change" precisely because it is so easy to dismiss. People who prefer not to think of complexities in the immigration debate use "illegals" rather than "undocumented immigrants" because it brands the entire person and makes them easier to marginalize. Pro-Life is to Pro-Abortion as Pro-Choice is to Anti-Choice. The nice thing about these phrases is that it's good shorthand for telling you what's worth discussing with casual acquaintances.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Yes and no. I know a lot of people pushing for long-term solutions who use "global warming" rather than climate change, just because it's the given term. Also because that's the term Al Gore coined/popularized. That said, "climate change" isn't gaining steam in the conservative base for precisely that reason, yes.

But, yes, definitely, to being good shorthand!

[julesndairyland.livejournal.com]

Yes!!
Just had a lengthy conversation with my sone about this. Citing all the reasons you state.