In anticipation of an interview or public debate about the current state of the climate, I recently chatted with Bard, an artificial intelligence chatbot launched by Google on March 21, 2023. My prompt was:
Let’s say I’m a climate change denier or skeptic. Ask me 10 questions to prove I’m one or the other.
The bard asked 10 questions after a few seconds:
From the very beginning, I noted the courtesy of the “interviewer”: There is no single answer that conclusively proves you are a climate denier or a skeptic. With the hope that I have a chance of not sticking one label or another, I formulated my answers to 10 questions.
1 Do you think the Earth’s climate is changing?
As a geologist and geophysicist, I think this is the easiest question. The climate of our planet has changed, is changing and will change constantly as long as the main sources exist and function – solar energy, geothermal energy, volcanic activity, tectonics of lithospheric plates, dynamics of the atmosphere and biosphere, and the development of glaciers.
On the other hand, “Do you think the Earth’s climate is changing?” is an extremely inaccurate question. It does not specify the magnitude of the change, to what extent it is negative or positive, and to what extent it is caused by humans (this detail appears in the second question). Any answer to such a vaguely formulated question can only be affirmative.
2 Do you think human activity is the main cause of climate change?
Fossil fuel burning, land use change due to deforestation, cement production, ruminant breeding, rice fields, etc. it is human activity that contributes to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (mainly CO2 and CH4). But these actions are only part of the complex of causes of climate change over time. The percentages associated with this part vary between different groups of specialists, with some taking the extreme view that it is a 100% anthropogenic contribution. Others last year concluded that in the period 1750–2018 percent of total CO2 due to the use of fossil fuels increased from 0% (in 1750) to 12% (in 2018), too small to be the cause of global warming.[1][s.m.]
A less extremist approach is much closer to reality.
3 Do you think the effects of climate change are already being felt?
Climate change is subject to and results from two main cycles: glaciation and interglacial periods. 11,700 years ago, the last glaciation ended and a geological epoch called the Holocene began, marking the beginning of the current interglacial period. The consequences of climate change during any interglacial period are typical and felt also in the Holocene: for example, an increase in the average planetary temperature, the concentration of greenhouse gases, and the average level of the planetary ocean. It should also be noted that, against the general background of global warming, the Holocene also experienced periods of several centuries when climate evolution had warmer or colder characteristics than the period after 1750, which is the subject of current climate debate and controversy. These events were not caused by human activity, but were (and likely will be in the future) the result of a complex, chaotic, highly non-linear and highly unpredictable climate system with multiple components (lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere). ).
4 Do you think climate change is a serious threat to the planet?
No, Actuator climate change is not an “existential crisis”, “sixth extinction”, “code red for humanity”, “climate Armageddon”, etc. And so on And so on I have elaborated on this answer in several articles: Linguistic gymnastics: the new vampire words, ChatGPT and climate change, The complexity monster and climate change (here are quotes from 20 of my articles on climate change and the perceived threat that change may pose cause-0 ) , Apocalypse Delayed: Current Climate Models Significantly Overestimate Future Ocean Level Rise. A few considerations about their reliability, about the inconsistency of “critical points” in the evolution of complex natural systems, and the list is not complete.
In Article Don’t look up: Is climate change a comet or diabetes?we noted, among other things, that climate change is just a mental tattoo—a phrase we use with an air of scientific sophistication to create a sense of knowing the unknowable. In other words, there is no climate “comet” approaching Earth, no hard scientific or historical evidence that the extinction of the human race or the catastrophic collapse of current civilization will occur.
As I mentioned in another article, the main risks that people need to be aware of are pandemics, military, cyber or nuclear wars, advanced artificial intelligence, to which I would add infant mortality, global economic downturns, the existence of failed states – all of these the real horsemen of the Apocalypse.
If we take into account the opinions of more than 9.7 million people about the “serious threat” that climate change can pose, we get a completely unexpected picture. “Actions on climate change” take the last place among 16 priorities that concern the people of the planet (Fig. 1). – Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro
Source: Hot News
James Springer is a renowned author and opinion writer, known for his bold and thought-provoking articles on a wide range of topics. He currently works as a writer at 247 news reel, where he uses his unique voice and sharp wit to offer fresh perspectives on current events. His articles are widely read and shared and has earned him a reputation as a talented and insightful writer.