With their permission, I am sharing notes I have taken on their course, to promote knowledge on this critical yet often misrepresented issue, which has drastic consequences both for humans & other life forms.
1. IF YOU ARE CONVINCED BY THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE & ALREADY AN ACTIVE ECO-FRIENDLY CITIZEN,
HERE ARE THE COURSE NOTES:
Edx_ClimateScienceDenial101x_Notes_Esteryn
2. IF YOU ARE NOT CONVINCED NOR AN ECO-FRIENDLY CITIZEN,
HERE ARE INFORMATIONS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER:
A. Climate change is real & human-caused:
- According to several studies, 97% of climate scientists all agree that climate change is real and caused by humans & a real threat both to human and other species. The MOOC explains all there is to know about climate science denial, so why not give it a go?
- CC is threatening WATER SUPPLIES for many countries (glaciers decrease & global warming causing droughts)
- CC is causing SEA LEVEL RISE, which intensifies floodings & hurricanes, and can displace millions of people
- CC is threatening 30% of all MARINE SPECIES and 850 million PEOPLE who depend on them for food or economic reasons (more about coral death)
- CC is a threat to HUMAN lives (increases the risk of infectious diseases, the frequence & intensity of extreme weather events: such as cold & heat waves and hurricanes, floodings etc.)
- CC is a threat to MANY SPECIES (if global warming reaches +4.5°C, 50% of species will be at risk of extinction, resulting in an accelerated mass extinction)
- CC causes SOCIETAL CRISIS (food & water scarcity & floodings can lead to economic damages & mass migrations & violent conflicts)
Global warming - Global warning (acrylic paints on cardboard - 40x50cm) : this painting illustrates some of the consequences of human CO2 emissions (via fossil fuel burning, deforestation etc.) causing ice melt, extreme weather events such as floodings, droughts & heat waves, ocean acidification (threatening corals & marine species) and migrants' deaths at sea.
C. Many environmental & societal problems are linked with climate change (CC)
so dealing with CC can solve a lot of other critical issues as well:
- DEFORESTATION
increases the greenhouse effect but also threatens many animals & plants habitat as well as human habitat such as Amazonian indigenous tribes - AIR POLLUTION
increases CC and causes millions of deaths every year, causing WHO to name it "the largest environmental risk" as well as being "a major environment-related health threat to children and a risk factor for both acute and chronic respiratory disease" - POVERTY & INEQUALITIES
are linked to CC in several ways: food & water scarcity, sea level rise, extreme weather events affect more poor countries yet they pollute much less than rich countries - SOCIETAL CRISIS
as rich countries cause most pollution yet resent the arrival of many migrants fleeing its impacts: solving CC would protect migrants' homeland, avoiding them to have to leave everything they own, face deadly danger in massive desperate migrations at sea & hostility from anti-migrants people abroad - HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE:
environmental injustice and human rights transgressions are inextricably intertwined: industries destroying indigenous people's lands, killing or abusing them along the way, and modern slavery abuse are also linked to environmental abuse
are generally CHEAPER for consumers & industries & HEALTHIER
- FAIRTRADE products
cause less pollution & protect workers' rights (many fairtrade options exist, here is a guide to some fairtrade labels & policies) - ORGANIC products
also cause less pollution& contain less pesticids & are cheaper than industrial "junk" or ready-cooked food - LOCAL SEASONAL
fruits & vegetables save on transport pollution & help small local producters to survive against industrial giants - EAT LESS MEAT
you can favor vegetable protein & limit meat consumption: better for your health & the environment - AVOID PALM OIL
& other industrial socio-environmentally destructive products (or favor organic & fairtrade versions of them) - JOIN or START an ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY association in your area, NGO or business:
you don't need to be rich and powerful to do so: indigenous tribes defend their forests against big industries, small start-ups & associations everywhere are striving to build a better world - use eco-friendly TRANSPORTS
- PUBLIC TRANSPORT reduce CO2 emissions
- CAR SHARING is also an option
- WALKING or CYCLING as often as possible (no CO2, no fuel & insurance fees, helps keeping healthy) - GREEN ENERGY
opt for a clean energy supplier (Good energy (UK), CleanChoiceEnergy (US), GreenPower (Aus) etc.) and avoid oil, coal & gas energy, which are contributing to most carbon emissions - SHARE ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIETAL INFORMATION
raise awareness about these problems, IRL, on social networks, in a positive, constructive way, basing your arguments on serious scientific studies, offer solutions, set an example by being yourself eco-friendly in your own way of life etc. - LIMIT WASTE & OVERCONSUMPTION
save money, avoid debts & help the environment - FOOD WASTE
generates greenhouse gases for nothing as up to 40% of food is thrown away & up to 26% of animals dying in vain (% of meat thrown away in the US) whilst some people starve
- avoid over-eating which can have bad effects on your health:
- how to reduce stress-induced over eating (meditation, exercice & social activities also reduce stress in general & are eco friendly activities good for mind & body as well)
- how to avoid food waste - CLOTHES WASTE
fashion is the 2nd most polluting industry after oil:
- you can prefer 2nd hand clothes & keep your clothes as long as possible & buy only what is necessary - ENERGY WASTE
some countries use 5-20 times more energy than others, most is wasted, so you can:
- switch off lights as soon as you leave a room & electrical equipment when you stop using them
- favor eco-friendly activities (which also have intellectual, social & stress-reducing benefits: cycling/walking in the countryside or city parks, board games, 2nd hand or library books , team sport, any sport, listening to music, practising art etc.)
- avoid spending too much time watching screens (excess use consume lots of energy & can have negative impacts on your health: computer games addiction, TV or internet negative effects on children and adults)
- limit lighting (only in the room you're in, prefer opening curtains then switching on the light in the morning etc.) & use LED - ELECTRONIC WASTE
causes great pollution & harm to humans whilst the industry causes slavery & violent conflicts so you can:
- keep your equipement (phone, computer, screens etc.) as long as it works, don't change as soon as a new one comes out & favor 2nd hand equipment in buying and selling, also bring back to proper recycling facilities broken equipment - WATER WASTE
- you can follow tips to save water
CONCLUSION:
YOU CAN be the change you want to see in the world as Gandhi said.
It's up to YOU, to all of us, individually and globally, to chose if we change our climate for the worst to benefit a minority of rich countries and persons, or if we choose to change our ways of life for a better climate for everyone everywhere !
FURTHER READINGS:
Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity according to the U.N. Secretary - NYTimesScientific information about climate change & climate science denial - Skeptical Science website
Drawdown: 100 solutions to Reverse Global Warming by Paul HawkenIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC
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