A Message from My Sons Regarding Climate Change

Hello devoted MagicKitchen.com blog readers.  As the title implies, this week’s topic deals with a rather controversial issue for some, climate change, although I don’t fully understand this controversy.  The fact that the Earth’s climate is changing is not disputed except by a small group of flat-Earthers.

What most people, at least in America, argue about is the CAUSE of this climate change and it essentially boils down to the role of humanity in this phenomenon.  Is human activity responsible for climate change or is it just a cyclical occurrence that happens every few thousand years or so?  In seeking how to answer this difficult question, I decided to ask my two sons, one eleven and the other thirteen, what they thought about this whole human-caused climate change controversy and here’s a rough summary of what they had to say.

“Dad, we really don’t care if climate change is caused by people or not.  Pollution, whether it causes climate change or not is never a good thing.  It can make us sick, the air stink and force people to wear surgical masks all the time like they do in China and we don’t want to wear those masks because they look stupid.  It would also be nice to breath…duh! (from the 13-year old).  I don’t think anyone thinks pollution is a good thing and even if it causes a little bit of climate change, shouldn’t we try to stop it?”

“Why do we have to burn so much coal?  Why are all the forests being cut down?  What the heck is palm oil and why do we need it? (after I explained one reason the forests in South Asia are being removed).  Can’t we produce energy with solar and wind power?  I don’t think they make an SPF 5 zillion sun screen, do they?  Why does it rain, like, every day around here?”

“All we know is that we’ve got 80 more years on this planet and it would be nice if the adults don’t destroy it before we get a chance to enjoy it like they did, and yes, Dad, you’re one of those adults.  It’s like the whole world is hooked on burning coal and wood and oil and gas and all that other stuff like it’s some kinda drug.  Well, how about all those countries that signed up for that Paris thing (after I explained the recent Paris Climate Accords that 192 countries signed on to, except, of course, the United States…oh yeah, and Venezuela and Syria) get hooked on some other drugs like wind and solar?”

“Wasn’t it like 120 degrees in Arizona a few months ago?  And doesn’t every year set a record for being the warmest ever?  (actually, 2016, the hottest year on record, was warmer than 2015 which was warmer than 2014 and then the string gets broken by 2010 which holds fourth place).  And aren’t sea levels rising?  And aren’t the coral reefs all dying?  And didn’t we have, like, no snow days last year?  I think the Earth’s broken and needs fixed, but the problem is, either no one knows how to fix it or they don’t want to fix it or they just don’t care.  And it’s us and our friends and our kids that are gonna get screwed and that’s just not fair especially when we didn’t cause this mess.  Why can’t Trump and all the other world leaders fix this before it’s too late?”  That last bit came mostly from my 8^th grader who is obviously, and fortunately, learning about all this in school.

There you have it, the musing of a 13 and 11-year old regarding climate change.  I must admit, they asked some questions that were very difficult to answer (try defining “bureaucracy” and “vested interests” to an 11-year old).  Despite their limited base of knowledge, they kept coming back to the fact that they’re afraid that things are only going to get worse for them and their futures after all the people who caused or failed to fix this problem are long gone and I’m afraid my response was not that reassuring to them.