Earlier this week, three female experts in climate change were discussing on Twitter the importance of understanding the effects of climate change on a location like Australia, and how environmental changes increase the likelihood of further fires.
The three also spoke up about those who continue to argue against climate change, and instead for arson, explaining how arson alone would not have a large enough impact to create these fires.
In the midst of their discussion, the three women were, of course, visited by a self-proclaimed expert, a man who decided to mansplain why climate change isn't a suitable explanation for the fires, and the women's reaction was perfect.
Professor Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and professor, wrote:
#AustralianWildFires climate denial claims, "it's arson! it's been warmer before! fire's natural!" The truth? Human… https://t.co/MOLNvaU1ZX— Prof. Katharine Hayhoe (@Prof. Katharine Hayhoe) 1578329920.0
Kate Marvel, a fellow climate scientist, agreed, chiming in:
The number of people yelling "it's arson!" at me like that somehow changes the molecular structure of carbon dioxid… https://t.co/NPW4TeRKip— Kate Marvel (@Kate Marvel) 1578330212.0
Dr. Jacquelyn Gill, an Ice Age ecologist and professor at University of Maine's Climate Change Institute, also chimed in, arguing why it's particularly problematic to blame arson alone.
Dr. Gill wrote:
@DrKateMarvel I research wildfire. Fire is controlled by two things: ignition, and fuel. Climate change impacts bot… https://t.co/VekLu27buv— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@Dr. Jacquelyn Gill) 1578334748.0
Up to this point, the three women were having a useful and productive conversation about climate change, one that could easily be educational to onlookers who wanted to learn a little bit more about what's going on in Australia right now.
But of course, someone needed to chime in and claim to be the greatest expert of all.
Retired TV weatherman Mike Smith, who describes himself as a "Husband, father, grandfather, scientist, entrepreneur, and author" and who made his Twitter username USWeatherExpert, came forward to explain why he felt all of these experts were, in fact, wrong.
Smith reacted to Dr. Gill's tweet, stating:
@JacquelynGill @DrKateMarvel That is just nonsense. Theoretically, one might be able to blame lightning-related fir… https://t.co/0vsFFwp1aT— Mike Smith (@Mike Smith) 1578349877.0
Dr. Gill immediately fired back, pulling her legitimate expert card.
@USWeatherExpert @DrKateMarvel Just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t. I’ve already ex… https://t.co/6WuzyV2qID— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@Dr. Jacquelyn Gill) 1578357596.0
Smith continued to try to hold his ground, arguing for his understanding.
@JacquelynGill @DrKateMarvel I understand just fine. I recommend you spend some time in meteorology and climatology classrooms.— Mike Smith (@Mike Smith) 1578358671.0
Dr. Gill pushed back again, short and sweet.
I do. As the instructor. https://t.co/8yXtrPeBza— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@Dr. Jacquelyn Gill) 1578362663.0
Twitter has been living for this reply, sharing it alone and making it go viral.
@JacquelynGill https://t.co/S8trOAWYRN— Millennial Edition (@Millennial Edition) 1578412719.0
@JacquelynGill https://t.co/CCA70HvpQ3— KareBearScare (@KareBearScare) 1578375289.0
@JacquelynGill https://t.co/68Deey9UxX— Brian Brettschneider (@Brian Brettschneider) 1578365135.0
@JacquelynGill https://t.co/erOSeH9Nag— Dakota Smith (@Dakota Smith) 1578369630.0
@JacquelynGill And THAT'S how you do it, my friends. https://t.co/Ul77kiDeZS— PhD Diaries (@PhD Diaries) 1578398812.0
@JacquelynGill https://t.co/bJwCbyc5rC— Derek (@Derek) 1578414941.0
@JacquelynGill https://t.co/VzcTOi1YrB— Ani No More Nazis in 2020s 🇨🇦🏳️🌈 (@Ani No More Nazis in 2020s 🇨🇦🏳️🌈) 1578362949.0
@JacquelynGill And dropping this off https://t.co/uZ0KdPWPIe— OceanGirl🌍🌎🌏🇺🇸🇦🇺🇬🇧🇮🇪 (@OceanGirl🌍🌎🌏🇺🇸🇦🇺🇬🇧🇮🇪) 1578365553.0
It's so ridiculous that people, typically women, have to continue to argue for their understanding of a a subject and their credentials, especially when they're making an important contribution to a major conversation like this one.
But Mike Smith, a retired Kansas TV weatherman who writes a glowing bio for himself and shares links to his own blog as scientific proof of and shills his self published books, apparently spends his free time trolling Twitter looking for women with advanced degrees to condescend to.
@USWeatherExpert/Twitter
But these three experts handled the situation wonderfully, and they've had fantastic support.
Much later in the Twitter thread, Dr. Gill asked that everyone do what they can to help support those trying to put out the fires, evacuate people, and save animals. There is a GoFundMe page for their Fire Relief Fund, if you would also like to donate.
Tired of climate change deniers? This shirt is available here.
Amazon
Where's the Beef?
GiphyStop eating beef. If the average person literally didn't eat beef anymore, it would eliminate a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and even deforestation.
Think Big!
Time to make big sacrifices. Stop driving! Take the bus, walk or ride a bike - or a combination of all those things. Advocate for better mass transit. No, it's not as convenient but our cars are literally killing us. Transportation accounts for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions, and personal vehicles account for 4/5 of that. There are too many people who live in the city and still insist on driving to work downtown. Don't f{replace1}amp;&@ng do that!!! Think of our driving dependency as a chemical addiction that we have to recover from before we die of it.
Electricity causes 27% of emissions. Stop using it unnecessarily.
So so much....
There are many things you can do:
- Don't use plastic bags, but instead buy one of those material ones. (I had one for two years now and it's still usable).
- Don't drive as much if you can. Public transportation isn't that bad.
- Don't buy things you don't need in general like new furniture, clothes or electronics that are still working.
- Don't buy certain foods often like meat, processed food which production leads to pollution.
- Try not to buy plastic things or things in plastic containers like water. You can buy glass/metal/ceramic bottles for drinks.
- Don't reproduce (1 child max) especially if you live in India, China or any of those countries with too many people already.
I could probably think of more but there are other people here.
Make it Happen...
A lot of people are talking about individual action, and that's great, but you can't actually get the world to net zero emissions unless everybody changes what they do. To achieve that, you need to change the rules society operates under. This means exercising the political power required to do so. You can't do that alone. So pick a group, join in, and make it happen.
It's totally worth it.
Mostly cut down on the red meat and air travel. It also helps to drive an efficient car, wear sweaters indoors in winter, and keep indoor spaces comfortably warm in summer. Support politicians who are committed to mitigating climate change, because we're going to have to make some major systemic changes. The individual sacrifices that make a significant difference are moderate, and the benefits for future generations are expected to be huge. It's totally worth it.
Eat Natural.
Go vegetarian! It has a huge impact and is way easier than you might think. If you're a real superstar, go vegan!
Even just cutting beef and lamb (huge greenhouse gas emitters) or fish (fishing is the largest contribution to plastic pollution) is helpful!
Think Ahead.
Think about your next car, if you aren't ready for an EV, try a hybrid or a low emissions car.
Be Smart.
GiphyCarpool, reduce personal waste, cut down on running showers, plant trees/bushes on your property.
Charge the Gates....
Storm the offices of the organizations that are preventing change.
Do not stop for locked doors or anything else.
Seriously, we need angry mobs like yesterday. xxkoloblicinxx
Slow Fashion.
GiphySustainable aka Slow Fashion. Fast fashion producers like H&M or Zara are build on the misery of many people and animals. In Bangladesh for example the water is so polluted by the industry that even bathing in it is a serious health endangerment. Also, there are millions of tons of textiles that are on landfills. These are just a few issues. Sustainable Fashion isn't much pricier or at all pricier and you support a more worker and planet friendly industry.
It's Just Stuff....
Stop buying stuff you don't need. Shipping & transport are the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
I second this. I work for UPS air and I get paid by the hour people, not the package.
It's made me hate the christmas season.
Educate yourself.
Educate yourself. I hate to say it, but a lot of suggestions here are well meaning but aren't directly tied into climate change. Recycling is great, but plastic waste doesn't release carbon dioxide. The ozone hole has to do with ultraviolet radiation, not greenhouse gases that cause warming. Good things to care about, but not directly relevant.
Some things are a matter of scale. Try to research how much carbon things are emitting or taking up.
Planting trees helps, but we're emitting every several years in carbon what widespread afforestation of the Earth could absorb. It's a piece to fighting it, but not a one shot solution. One car ride can cancel out the annual CO2 absorption of a tree. Then what happens if that tree dies due to climate change causing a drought? Consider that one mass transit ride could save as much carbon as a tree would absorb in an entire year.
These are difficult questions. There are answers, they just require thoughtful answers. Also political action and the willingness for some personal sacrifices. emumemu
Overpopulation.
Have less kids. 4h4usheer
Right! Adoption is a fantastic thing to do if you want to raise kiddos. Or get pets instead.
Be Smart.
GiphyEat less beef, meatless Mondays, don't buy stupid crap, avoid single use plastic, bike or take the bus to work, recycle properly, buy local, pick up litter, train > plane, VOTE, avoid garbage brands, thrift shop if u need stuff, and then tell ur friends to do all this stuff.
Plant.
Plant trees. There is a lot of tree planting companies. Work for them, earn cash, make a difference. If you want to do even more, spend some of that cash on more trees to plant.
Reduction.
You can reduce the CO2 emissions you cause. Use your car less or get one that needs less fuel, fly less, buy less stuff you won't use, replace red meat with chicken or vegetarian options, ...
You can donate money to projects that avoid CO2 emissions or remove CO2 from the atmosphere, e.g. by planting new trees. As rough guideline: Avoiding 1 ton of CO2 emissions is ~$50. Yearly per capita CO2 emissions in the US and Canada are ~16 tonnes.
Last but not least...
If you want to be fully CO2-neutral you can donate $800 per year to suitable projects, or even less if you cause below average CO2 emissions. This is affordable for many people! And it would be even more affordable if paid relative to the income, e.g. via taxes.
Last but not least: Convince other people to do the same, and vote for people supporting policies that slow climate change.
So Many Options.....
Walk or bike instead of driving, donate and thrift shop instead of throwing away and buying stuff you don't need. Don't use single use items, unplug or turn off lights and utilities if you're not using them, shop locally and organically, cut down on eating meat.
Any One Person.
The biggest things any one single person is:
1 - Push the boundaries of science and business and invent an economical way to get solar panels into space and a way of either safely beaming it down to earth or converting it to a form that can be transported to Earth
2 - Failing this don't have kids.
