One and Done, and The Indestructible Earth: classic symptoms of Global Warming Denial

One and done.

It’s a mental strategy of people in denial. I’m sure you’ve encountered it before. No matter how convincing an argument, no matter how many facts presented to them in favor of a viewpoint, if the denier can find just ONE example of something out of sorts, they write off the entire proposal.

Some examples: Politics: An anti-war protestor MAY have spit on a pro-war person. The one-and-done person responds: well that completely invalidates anything and everything the anti-war movement has to say. Science: I know a vegan who once caught a cold. One and Done? Therefore, it’s not a healthy diet. Society: One person of (Ethnic Group X) is a jerk. One and Done says, therefore, I hate them all.

Etc.

The latest and greatest manifestation of this phenomena is the denial of Global Warming. It goes like this: Well, it sure is cold today, therefore, I believe Global Warming is a complete crock. I don’t need to stop driving my three miles per gallon SUV, thank god.

It’s everywhere and it’s ridiculous. It also shows a lack of understanding of Global Warming. The issue is that temperatures on average are rising. It doesn’t mean the whole earth is turned into a sauna immediately. Global Warming means that temperatures are warmer. So in the winter, yes, it’s cold, but many years ago, it was much colder. And the summers are getting hotter as well.

The temperature rising means more trouble for people everywhere because of the impact on the earth we need to live on. (http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/)

Another symptom of Global Warming Denial is this: The earth’s been around for billions of years, humanity can’t destroy it.

That’s ridiculous too, because the earth has been around for billions of years, but for 99.99+% of that time, it was an inhospitable rock, as exciting (and as livable) as your average abandoned parking lot. I’d prefer for it not to return to that status. No, humanity can’t destroy the earth, but they sure can make it a sucky place (or even impossible place) to live.

Why the denial? Is driving an SUV (and paying through the sphincter for the privilege) so important to some people? I guess it is. Hell, it’s the premise I built my novel around: in the face of overwhelming evidence, of a clear moral choice, lots of people just shrug and refuse to change. Denial is preferable to change!

The only problem here is that Global Warming isn’t a brilliant and entertaining work of fiction by an upstart writer, it’s real life. So we’ll have to just keep presenting the evidence and break through that denial.

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Larry Nocella is the award-winning author of the novel Where Did This Come From? available at Amazon and Xlibris and other fine online book stores. Also, for a limited time, Where Did This Come From? is available as an eBook for only ONE DOLLAR. Visit Larry Nocella's website at http://www.larrynocella.com/.