{"id":99975,"date":"2021-03-02T12:22:38","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T17:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=99975"},"modified":"2021-03-02T17:36:05","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T22:36:05","slug":"wash-post-an-evangelical-scientist-on-reconciling-her-religion-and-the-realities-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=99975","title":{"rendered":"(Wash Post) An evangelical scientist on reconciling her religion and the realities of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Because here\u2019s the thing. When I run into people who are very adamant about rejecting climate change <\/a>\u2014 they\u2019re not that many; only 7 percent of people are dismissive, but they\u2019re very loud about it. I look at those people, whether it\u2019s on social media or if they wrote me a letter \u2014 rarely do I run into them in person; most prefer to be behind the safety of a keyboard before they attack you \u2014 but I look at who they are because I\u2019m curious. And easily 90 percent of the time \u2014 probably more than that \u2014 climate change is just one of a package of issues: extreme nationalism, anti-immigration, right-wing politics. You know, whatever the current issue of the day is \u2014 covid, school shooting \u2014 you can guarantee that whoever rejects climate change will also be adamantly defending the right of people to bear weapons and supporting covid myths and disinformation. It all goes together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So only 7 percent are what we would call climate-change deniers?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yeah. Seven percent are really hardcore, but then what happens is that a lot of people are not outright dismissive \u2014 they just are what social scientists call \u201ccognitive misers.\u201d We all are. [Laughs.] Because who has time to read all of these things and develop a thoughtful opinion on the myriad issues that we\u2019re expected to have in order to vote or to advocate or even [address] when it comes up in conversation? So we look to the opinions of people we respect, whose values we believe that we share, who we assume have spent a bit more time thinking about it than we have. And we adopt their opinions. Unfortunately, today a lot of that has become very politically polarized. And you have a lot of people who are just really confused because they hear people whose values they share, who call themselves Christians, who have called themselves Republicans or conservatives, telling people, \u201cOh, this isn\u2019t real.\u201d \u201cThose scientists are just making it up.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s just a liberal hoax.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t want to change who people are or what they believe. It\u2019s a case of showing them that they already care about this \u2014 and already believe what they need to in order to make a difference.\u201d –@KHayhoe<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/Nza9WSicGd<\/a><\/p>\n

— Clark Evans (@ClarkEvansWx) March 2, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n