(Late) Week 5: FuzBeed Quiz! Politician or Not Climate Change Denier Edition

Hello Everyone!

Since I couldn’t write a post last week (I was struck down by a microscopic organism) I want to post something fun :). Take yourself back to 2016, when Buzzfeed quizzes were the only interesting thing to do when you had friends over. Except this time you’re not picking your favourite vegetable to see what 1D member you’re secretly twins with, but puzzling through Climate Change denier quotes! 

The rules are simple: 

– There will be a series of quotes said by either an American politician or a non politician (American)

– Mark down who you think said what (no individual names necessary) 

– At the end check your choices with the answer key 

The main question is: Do you attribute the more reasonable statements to the civilians or the politicians? Are the people we collectively voted into office any better than us laymen?

Politician or Not?! Climate Change Denier Edition

1. “It used to not be climate change. It used to be global warming. That wasn’t working too well, ’cause it was getting too cold all over the place.” 

2. “We must demand that more coal be burned to save the Earth from global cooling.”

3. “That’s kind of how we’re treating God when he’s given us these gifts [of coal/natural gas] of abundant and inexpensive and effective fuel sources,” he observed. “God has buried those treasures there because he loves to see us find them.”

4. “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive.” 

“I’m one of the skeptics that man has anything to do with climate change. It’s a fear tactic utilized by politicians.” 

6. “The solution to climate change is not this un-serious resolution that [is being considered] this week in the Senate, but rather the serious business of human flourishing. The solution to so many of our problems, at all times and in all places, is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids.”  

7. “I have a theory about global warming and why people think it’s real. Go back 30, 40 years when there was much less air conditioning in the country… Now, 30, 40 years later, all this air conditioning, and it’s a huge difference when you go outside. When you go outside now, my golly, is it hot. Oh. Global warming. It’s all about the baseline you’re using for comparison.” 

8. “I believe there’s climate change. I believe there’s been climate change since the beginning of time. Do I think man has some impact? Yeah, of course. Can man change the entire universe? No. Why do I believe that? Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.” 

Answers

1. Politician: Donald Trump- former POTUS 

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/01/donald-trump-still-doesnt-believe-in-climate-change

2. Non Politician: Don Blankenship- former CEO of Massey Energy 

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-10-dumbest-things-ever-said-about-global-warming-200530/ 

3. Non Politician: Bryan Fischer- American Family Association 

https://sojo.net/magazine/march-2013/top-notch-theology-or-not 

4. Politician: Donald Trump- former POTUS

https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/265895292191248385?lang=en 

5. Politician: Don Young- US rep

https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/1060071647; https://gizmodo.com/9-quotes-from-republican-politicians-next-to-their-stat-1847140415/slides/3 

6. Politician: Mike Lee- US Senator 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/26/politics/mike-lee-green-new-deal/index.html 

7. Non Politician: Rush Limbaugh- political commentator 

https://grist.org/accountability/2011-12-20-the-year-in-crazy-rush-limbaugh/ ; https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-10-dumbest-things-ever-said-about-global-warming-200530/

8. Politician: Tim Walberg- US rep

https://time.com/4800000/tim-walberg-god-climate-change/ 

Regarding Tim Walberg’s statement, climate change is actually fundamentally changing the Earth. A recent article published in Nature explains how melting ice caps “[have] decreased the angular velocity of Earth more rapidly than before”. According to the author’s analysis, this will push back the need for a leap second from 2026 to 2029 as well as make it negative (Nature.com, Nature) 

Additionally, human-caused climate change has been a known phenomena since 1896 with the publication of some of Svante Arrhenius’s rough calculations that showed the relationship between radiation, atmospheric CO2 levels, and temperature (The Guardian). Many accredited scientific associations from the Geological Society of America to US National Academy of Sciences have stated support for anthropogenic climate change (NASA).

Add’tl Sources: 

– https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/donald-trump-stupid-quotes 

– https://gizmodo.com/9-quotes-from-republican-politicians-next-to-their-stat-1847140415/slides/8 

– https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-10-dumbest-things-ever-said-about-global-warming-200530/ 

Closing Thoughts

Maybe trusting politicians to know everything about every complicated scientific topic wasn’t one of our best ideas… I think my favourite egregious statement was from Mike Lee, who essentially said that the solution to climate change is to birth stronger families. His mind had to do some impressive reaching to come to that conclusion. 20/10 my man.