Why ‘climate alarmism’ is a justified state-of-mind

The phrase ‘climate alarmist’ is a description levelled by sceptics at scientists, campaigners and writers who wax lyrical about the potentially devastating impacts of climate change. But can one be knocked down by such a charge?

An article by American environmental news magazine Grist says how the notion of so-called ‘alarmism’ when it comes to climate change is “almost surreal“.

In a piece entitled If you aren’t alarmed about climate, you aren’t paying attention, blogger David Roberts reviews just some of the predictions made by scientists and researchers from across the globe over the true impact of increased global temperatures.

After covering heatwaves, ocean acidification, wildfires, biodiversity loss, extreme weather, water scarcity, droughts, flooding, damaged ecosystems, crop yield reductions, human security and economic crashes, he concludes, “Take all that in, sit with it for a while, and then tell me what it could mean to be an “alarmist” in this context. What level of alarm is adequate?”

We urge you to read the excellent Grist article in full here.

Investing sustainably, travelling responsibly, shopping ethically and using cleaner sources of energy are just some of the many ways you can help avoid the worst effects of climate change.