Environmentalism is not a Religion

Posted: November 12th, 2008 | Author: Jacob Fortin | Filed under: Essays, Science and Evolution |

(This is a response to this video)

Imagine every Nobel winning scientists went on record to say that a giant asteroid was headed for planet Earth, and that in 30 years, it would impact, killing all life on the planet. How many people would go on television and say that more data needed to be collected before we took action? How many would claim that asteroid impacts are a natural part of the Earth’s history and not an issue for concern.None obviously. Humanity would more than likely unite to avoid this catastrophe, pouring money, time and effort into the endeavor. I doubt any governments would be concerned over the loss of jobs or the economy when faced with the prospect of instant annihilation.

Global warming isn’t as dramatic as this example. It’s also highly unlikely that it would wipe out all life on this planet. But there is reason for great concern. The fact that the changes are gradual and slow undermines the fact that the long term impacts may be devastating.

I’ve heard the accusation from climate change deniers for years now that environmentalism is akin to religious dogmatism. It’s true that for some, there is a sort of primitive Shinto like mysticism that creeps into the discussion on global warming. But to characterize the entire movement as little more than religious indoctrination is doing a giant disservice to all of the science done on the subject for over 30 years.

Nature worship is nothing new. Even without the modern environmental movement, there have always been individuals that place great emphasis on the importance of the natural world in the continued prosperity of mankind. There’s an almost surreal power an elegance to it, and it’s not unheard of for scientists to wax poetic on its beauty. But it would be unfair to accuse this of resembling religion, simply because the information we have concerning global warming is the result of solid scientific data and not romanticism.

Climate change deniers like to point out that the earth’s average temperature is always in a state of flux. We’ve had countless periods of warming and cooling in the long history of the planet, and their argument is that we are simply experiencing a natural warming of the environment because of these cycles. It sounds logical, but this is assuming that the natural world resembles what it has in the past. You need only look out your window to know that human beings have had a considerable impact on changing the face of the Earth, and that it hasn’t been without consequence.

How much of an impact is still a matter of debate, but there is a consensus among scientists that global warming is a direct result of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity. It’s only difficult for some to believe because of the seemingly massive size of the planet. How, they ask, could we have any impact if the Earth is just so big?

How important are greenhouse gases?

Carl Sagan said that if the earth was the size of a basketball, the atmosphere would be no thicker than a coat of varnish. This thin layer is all that stands between us and the cold regions of space. To know how significant such a thin atmosphere is, one need only look at our two neighboring planets to understand just how important that “coat of varnish” really is.

Consider Mars. Although it’s less than a third of the mass of the Earth, at one point in time Mars looked somewhat similar to our own planet. We know for a fact that it had water canals and an atmosphere similar to ours. The gravity of the planet, and the lack of a magnetosphere, however, was not enough to keep the atmosphere of Mars from gradually fading off into space, and the result is the cold dead planet we see today. Although an atmosphere does still exists, there is too little to keep any much warmth, and the result are wild fluctuations in temperature. It can go from lows of minus -150 to 20 degrees Celsius.

Venus, on the other hand, is more closely resembles the earth in both density and size, but is a far more alien world that Mars, due mostly to it’s unique atmosphere which is 92 times more dense than ours. The pressure on the surface is massive; the same were we 1 kilometer deep in water. It’s made mostly of carbon dioxide, which is a major greenhouse gas. It’s this gas that allows the planet to reach temperatures of over 460 degree Celsius, more than double the heat that a modern stove can produce. The surface of Venus is hot enough that there is no water, and it’s rocky surface is always semi-molten.

These two planet’s temperatures are extreme compared to ours, but their relative distance from the sun is less important that the combination of the density of their atmospheres, and the amount of greenhouse gases they possess.

Although it’s true that carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere is in constant flux, we do know that it has never been higher than in any other time in Earth’s history (we know this because of ice samples in the arctic dating back millions of years). The conclusion that this is the result of human activity can be made simply due to the level of carbon being burned and released in the atmosphere every day.

It’s not enough to convince Ian Plimer, however. Apparently, all scientific data concerning climate change is simply the result of dogmatism, and not serious analysis and observation. This professor is convinced that the warming of the earth actually represents a boon to us, citing that warmer climate typically means a greater abundance of life. What he fails to realize is that previous climate changes have occurred more gradually, and it is the sudden change that is so concerning. Many animal species are dying because the changes are happening faster than they can adapt.

It would be naive to assume, even if these changes did not lead to a global catastrophe, that humans would remain unaffected. Although I don’t deny that there has been a great deal of fear mongering on the part of some environmentalists, it’s important to note that the major scientists that have been discussing it are relying on the strength of their data, and not on a quasi religious paradigm. There are fanatics that would use concern over the environment to promote their own agenda, but it does not mean that the data itself is fabricated. It simply means that the consequences are massive enough to warrant action.

I personally find it insulting that someone would compare belief in climate change to religion. Climate researchers are not clergymen trying to promote a specific agenda. This belies the work of serious scientists that search for answers in nature, and it undermines the serious skepticism and probing that is still occurring. It’s true that we are having a difficult time predicting what the effects of Global Warming will be. It could be catastrophic or benign. But it’s now reached a point where we are aware that not only is it happening, but that we are the cause. It would seem foolish to think that the impact will be only benign, and the call to action of these scientists is specifically to avoid complacency in the face of the potential for disaster.

It seems to me reasonable to assume that any major changes to the temperature of the Earth may have dire consequences. If this means that we must reduce our use of fossil fuels, we have to consider the ramifications of our inaction.

I do want to say one last thing concerning environmentalism that Ian Pilmer touched on. There are some that have created a kind of nature cult. You can see these people living in mud huts and using their own feces to grow crops. These are members of society that want a complete and immediate change in the way we live our lives. They revere nature and find anything man-made deplorable. I don’t suggest we live as they do. I firmly believe that we have the ability to find technological solutions to this problem, and I believer in the power of innovation. But these cultists are right about one thing: we do need to change the way we live, otherwise, there is the chance that the change will be made for us.

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