~C4Chaos

The latest episode of The Stuart Davis Show wrestles with the issue of
Climate Change. The video is as funny as it is intellectual. Both the
pro and con sides of Climate Change were brilliantly argued, from the
environmental up to the spiritual perspective.

But I really wonder what Stu’s position on Climate Change really is. Is he a Cassandra, or a Dorothy? Or a little bit of both? (Note: Check out the essay, Winning and Losing the Global Warming Debate, for more context.)

Taking a cue from Richard Dawkins’ belief scale below –

“On
a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is certitude that God exists and 7 is
certitude that God does not exist, Dawkins rates himself a 6: ‘I cannot
know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life
on the assumption that he is not there.’”

I’ve come up with a simplified 5-point Climate Change belief scale.

On the extreme end are the Cassandras
– the alarmist position (think Al Gore) believing that there is
scientific consensus on the issues of Climate Change and that we only
have a few years to act before the planet is decimated by melting polar
ice caps, strong hurricanes and other disasters. On the other extreme
end are the Dorothies
– aka “climate change deniers” (think Michael Crichton) who believe
that the Earth is indeed warming up but computer models can’t prove
squat because we don’t know enough anything about the climate to
predict the weekly weather let alone the weather and climate for the
next 50 to 100 years.

Take note however that the belief scale is not intended to inflame the debate. I’ve created it as a tool for self-reflection.

Here’s how to use the scale.
Based on our own personal knowledge and belief, let’s do some personal
reflection using the belief scale above. After that, let’s ask
ourselves whether our actions reflect our belief.

For
example, if you rate your self as a 5 on the scale, does your action
reflect this belief? Do you still drive a Hummer? Are you switching to
vegetarianism to lessen your environmental footprint?

Allow me
to start and rate myself as honestly as I can. Based on the information
I’ve digested from the mainstream media, scientific debates and my
layman’s research, I rate myself as 2. I believe that
the Earth is warming up and we’re contributing to it. But I don’t buy
the doom and gloom scenario. I believe that we don’t need to be scared
of Climate Change in order to take action and clean up our act on our
environment. As for the action I’m taking, I would rate myself as if my
actions are coming from someone who has a belief  rated at 3.
Why? I do my best to recycle stuff. My current lifestyle enables me to
reduce my carbon footprint because I rarely drive my car. I do carpooling
with my friends most of the time. I continue to do personal research on
Climate Change and share it with others (see zPod:CLIMATE CHANGE) so I can stay informed on the latest findings so that I can re-evaluate my position when necessary.

But enough about me. How do you rate yourself on the 5-point Climate Change belief scale? And why?