Katharine Hayhoe is one of my favorite climate scientists. There are a lot of reasons for this, but it all boils down to her being a science evangelist, and I do mean that literally: She’s an evangelical Christian who specifically talks to other religious folks about climate change, an obviously key demographic.
One of the problems with communicating the urgency about the climate is the distraction factor: People (deniers) arguing over minor details as a way of changing the focus from the reality of the bigger picture.
That’s why I’m glad to see Hayhoe gave a TEDx talk at Texas Tech University (where she is a professor) where she reviews the very basic understanding we have of global warming and why it’s causing our climate to change. If you find yourself struggling over the root causes, this is a great place to start.
And when you’re done watching, head over to Skeptical Science to get more info on the points she mentioned, as well as many, many others. You’ll find the science there, as well as debunkings of denial talking points.
After that, hopefully you’ll understand why so many of us are so concerned over this, and so willing to spend so much time fighting those who seem hellbent on making sure our planet warms up even more.
