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Arjuna Nagendran

Doctor,

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Is fighting climate change a losing battle?

Climate change is and will impact us all. As alluded to, there are many countries who unfortunately stand to make very substantial financial gains from this.

What is likely to be the most successful way of fighting this battle? Who is likely to make the biggest impact - our fellow citizens or our Governments?

Related Talks:
Topics: climate change global warming international cooperation
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    Ken brown 30+

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    Oct 4 2012: It really is quite simple and cheap to make a change,Paint your house roof white,if everyone did this then it will be a start towards the change.

    • F. Swemson

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      Oct 4 2012: Not really...

      First, it would never have a statistically meaningful effect, and

      Second, the premise is wrong. WARMING IS GOOD!

      The only type of climate change that is dangerous to us is extreme cooling. The reason is simple enough to see... When it's colder, crops don't grow as well as when it's warmer. History has shown this to be true, with almost all of the high points of human civilization, like the pinnacle of the Roman Empire, occurring at the warmest periods in our recorded history.

      fs
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        Ken brown 30+

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        Oct 5 2012: So you're hoping northern Europe will have nice warm growing weather like it did back then? What's happening in northern Africa today didn't happen back then but in saying so,just about all of us only look at our immediate vicinity and the affects of warming it has on it,I can't say you're wrong but neither can you say that the world population back then affected climate change like it is today,acceleration.

        • F. Swemson

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          Oct 5 2012: I don't believe that today's population has any meaningful effect on our climate, other than local "heat island" effects...

          So I certainly am not claiming that the far smaller population of the middle ages had any effect on their climate...

          It's the sun... it's natural & it's good!

          fs

      • Jamie Osborne

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        Oct 6 2012: You're wasting your time here F. Swemson. This is not some tabloid news site. TEDsters are smart enough to spot a paid fossil fuel troll.

        • F. Swemson

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          Oct 7 2012: Some very smart people are incredibly stupid about certain things, as TED proves on a regular basis.

          If you wish to argue any point I might make. do so with facts, not insults.

          You can start by coming up with an explanation for the temperature record of the mid 1940's through the 70's. Here's the facts:

          http://www.swemson.com/upl/G3.jpg

          Let's see how smart you are....

          fs

      • Jamie Osborne

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        Oct 7 2012: Ok fs, let me see if I've understood your request?

        You, (a newspaper ad guy, who through your comments in this forum have demonstrated an inability to understand either the science or the implications of climate change), are asking me (someone you don't know) to give you the "facts" that 97% of qualified scientists use to disagree with you?

        I hope you appreciate that this leaves me in a very uncomfortable position - A position where ad-hominem seems to be the only reasonable response…

        I'll try to avoid that unpleasant path though, because you are obviously passionate, and seem to enjoy researching... Instead, I'll ask you a couple of polite and genuine questions:
        1) Have you done any research into the psychology of climate change denial?
        2) Can you tell us why you want so passionately to be right on this one?

        I look forward to your considered response to 2, in particular.

        All the best.
        Jamie

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