It is fairly obvious to the majority of people believe that climate change exists, and that the planet is currently facing a crisis. However, there are some people that still deny whether climate change exists or if the problems it is causing are real.
One of the biggest reasons for climate change denial is fear. Many people that deny climate change, deny it due to the way it makes them feel. Denying something that frightens use is a coping mechanism, a way to keep yourself safe. As seen through newspaper reports and through our own eyes, we can see that climate change is bringing about some scary changes to the way we live. This fear of the unknown makes people bury their heads in the sand, so as to not have to deal with the situations that scare them.
When people are comfortable, they are also less likely to want change. Fighting climate change is going to require a lot of us to make significant changes to our lives and some people are not ready for that change. If they deny that the driver of change doesn’t exist, then they have no reason to change.
Many deniers believe that climate change will be too expensive to fix and therefore it isn’t possible. This is from all levels including governments discussing policies, businesses implementing strategies, and individuals making changes at home. The fight against climate change isn’t going to be cheap, but if we begin to make changes now, it will be much cheaper for us in the long run. Those that are denying the need for change now, will find that making changes later will be pricier, as they will have to make many changes in a shorter period of time.
With the money that must be spent by governments worldwide, many people believe that their country shouldn’t be putting money into the fight against climate change if others are not equally doing the same. In the UK, we are currently in a living cost crisis, and many believe that money should be spent on building a better living situation than spending money on sustainability. On the other hand, if we don’t help to fight climate change and make the UK much more sustainable, the chances are that the cost of living will get a lot higher. As climate change brings about further natural disasters that will affect house prices, food production and businesses.
There are some climate change deniers that claim that climate change is part of a natural cycle. Although this is true and can be seen through the Ice Ages of the past, if you look into the history of our planet, it is clear to see that these natural cycles occurred over long periods of time. Whilst the effects we are witnessing now have occurred over a much shorter period. This is due to the burning of fossil fuels that have warmed up the planet at a quicker rate, speeding up the course of the natural cycle.
There are very few people that deny climate change when compared to those that believe, and many deniers don’t deny it is happening, they only deny how bad the situation is. Most deniers are mainly concerned about how it will affect them and therefore try to downplay, or don’t believe the true effects climate change will cause to the planet.
