2017 is almost here, but judging by the comments we receive on a daily basis, one would think it’s 1917. Climate change is the single largest issue we face as a global society, yet more and more climate deniers seem to be popping up in the wake of the Save Our Snowman campaign we launched this winter.

So many in fact, it started to become clear that too many people across the country either confuse weather for climate or have been fed misinformation from the endless number of politicians and media sources that are bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry. It also started to feel like we’re running a “Dear Abby” column on our Facebook page.

“Your little climate change hoax free ride is over now that Trump is in charge.” –Ted

 Sorry, Teddy. But we’ll keep fighting for Earth no matter who’s in charge.

“Whyever would you want to offset something that puts moisture and plant food directly into the atmosphere?” –Tom

CO2 isn’t inherently bad—but the levels currently being released into the atmosphere are having catastrophic effects on the Earth.

Proof: When sunlight reaches Earth’s surface, it can either be reflected back into space or absorbed by Earth. Once absorbed, the planet releases some of the energy back into the atmosphere as heat (also called infrared radiation). Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) absorb energy, slowing or preventing the loss of heat to space. In this way, GHGs act like a blanket, making Earth warmer than it would otherwise be. – EPA
https://www.epa.gov/climate-change-science/causes-climate-change

“Climate change is fake.” –Jose

Actually, it’s not. It’s a serious issue that requires serious action.

Proof: The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling: Sea level rise, global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining arctic sea ice, glacial retreat, extreme weather events, ocean acidification, decreased snow cover (maybe not in your neighborhood today, but the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and is melting earlier). – NASA

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

“The Earth lost 1 degree Celsius in the past 6 months. Lost.” –Benjamin

Temporary fluctuations are less important than the long-term averages—all of which are trending upward and much more rapidly than past warming events.

Proof:“Models predict that Earth will warm between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius in the next century. When global warming has happened at various times in the past two million years, it has taken the planet about 5,000 years to warm 5 degrees. The predicted rate of warming for the next century is at least 20 times faster. This rate of change is extremely unusual.” -NASA
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

This holiday, if you find yourself engaging in a conversation with a friend or family member that feels all too close to the ones above—be polite and remember, science is real, math isn’t rigged, and small actions can and do spark planet-size change.

Happy holidays and merry new year,

The Cool Effect family