The 10 biggest climate change myths revealed

Climate change can be a sensitive issue. With all the misinformation, we thought you’d like to hear the cold, hot truth about common climate myths.

Are we really responsible for climate change?

Has the earth always been this hot, or is it just Leonardo Di Caprio and Gisele Bündchen?

Today we answer the most frequently asked questions about global warming, reveal the myths about climate change and clarify the realities of climate change.

We will no longer keep you from the truth. Let’s debunk the myths about climate change.

Climate change myth #1: “Humans are not responsible for climate change.”

As sad as it is, we can only point the finger at ourselves. Science has proven time and again that greenhouse gas rates have risen significantly over the last 30 years and that the average temperature of 1 degree Celsius is man-made.

At the same time, we are reducing our carbon sinks (forests) and replacing them with greenhouse gases (agriculture and industry). In addition, humans release various harmful heat-trapping gases into our atmosphere, such as CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons.

Climate change myth #2: “Carbon dioxide can’t be the cause of climate change – plants need it!”

Trees are like our cool aunt; but if you give the cool aunt too much to drink, she passes out. The same applies to plants. Put simply, forests can no longer absorb the record-breaking amount of carbon dioxide that we release every day.

The last time carbon ppm was this high, dinosaurs roamed the earth! Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Yes, the carbon dioxide parts per million have not been this outstanding for over 800,000 years.

Climate change myth #3: “It’s so cold, there can’t be any global warming!”

The weather is short-term, the climate is long-term. The climate is observed over decades, weather experiments are predicted every week, hour by hour, second by second.

Global warming is causing more aggressive weather: heavier rainfall, deep floods, record highs and lows. Intense storms increase in intensity, hit harder and last longer.

Do you know someone who might be interested in this article? Share it with them:

Climate change myth #4: “The Earth’s climate has always been in a state of flux.”

This is the most realistic myth, but unfortunately it is still a myth. Even though the earth has always been in a state of constant change, today’s changes are accelerating in their natural cycles.

In contrast to the heating and cooling processes, which take hundreds and thousands of years, these temperature changes now happen in just a few decades.

“When I was a child, we had snow in winter!” Exactly grandma, exactly! The rate of temperature rise is 10 times faster than the rate studied from the mass extinction that took place over 56 million years ago and led to an alarming extinction of over 70% of land species and over 90% of marine life.

Climate change myth #5: “We have time to solve this problem.”

Believing that we have time is a false argument. We can currently see the effects of climate change by looking at the global rise in temperature, the rise in sea levels, the melting of the ice sheet, the advanced melting of snow and the increase in extreme weather storms.

The evidence is now before us as the current cycle continues. A majority of scientists claim that the damage to our planet will be irreversible if no major changes are made by 2030.

A good way to get involved is to support countries in their efforts to adopt sustainable business practices. The UN has published a list of 17 SDGs or “Sustainable Development Goals” that simply make sense. Find out what these are and how you can contribute to 16 of the 17 SDGs here.

Knowledge is power! Share this article with your friends

Climate change myth #6: “Renewable energies are not economical.”

Contrary to popular belief, solar energy is cheaper than all alternatives to fossil fuels. In the past, consumers and businesses viewed renewable energy as a moneymaker aimed at ruining their fast production playgrounds.

Today’s world views renewable energy as a cost-effective way to reduce fossil fuel emissions while doing our planet and pocketbook a favor. For example, a kilowatt of electricity from fossil fuels costs an average of 12 cents, while one from solar energy costs 4 cents.

Climate change myth #7: “Animals can adapt to climate change just like us.”

Wrong. Have you seen the polar bears lately? The inhabitants of the Arctic suffer more than others when they have to watch layers of their habitat melt at an alarming rate.

The Arctic’s natural season is currently being accelerated; the ice is melting earlier and forming later each year. Being an Arctic mother now comes with a certain amount of drama, with increased stress from competing for land to raise young, hunt for food, etc.

In warmer climates, the effect still hits hard as mammals are forced to adapt or relocate in the face of habitat loss and human encroachment.

More animals were sighted in populated areas because they were driven out of their natural habitats. If you are curious about habitat creation and want to know what you can do, read our article “Planting trees in Thailand – How to create habitat for elephants”!

Would you like to help us create habitats for endangered animals? Plant a tree today.

Climate change myth #8: “The sky is blue. Where are all the greenhouse gases and smog?”

Put on your scientist hat, because we’re about to get technical.

Your eyes are working against you with a phenomenon called “Raleigh scattering”. Our eyes absorb violet and blue light more easily than red light. When light penetrates air and space, it interferes with surrounding particles such as gases, dust and water by being absorbed or reflected.

Gas is so small that it reflects light and bounces off surrounding particles, making the entire sky appear blue. If you were to fly into space, you would see the colors slowly fade to a pale color as soon as the sun’s red tones counter the blue. Oh, science!

Climate change myth #9: “Climate change will destroy the world by 2030.”

This is a misinterpreted quote published in the 2018 IPCC report. The actual quote is as follows:

“The report states that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require ‘rapid and far-reaching’ changes in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport and cities. Net man-made global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach ‘net zero’ by 2050.”

It was therefore more of a call to action than an impending doom. Although there is still no doubt that we need to greatly reduce our CO2 emissions or deal with a sharp rise in temperature (potentially threatening cities at sea level), we are not going to die any time soon.

With Click A Tree, you can do your bit for change with our tree planting missions. Help us plant 1 million trees this year .

Climate change myth #10: “It’s too late to solve this problem!”

The best myth on this list to debunk – it’s NEVER too late. We have had the technology to reduce our CO2 emissions to zero for a number of years, but large companies, governments, energy companies and major consumers need to make the switch. The 2050 net-zero emissions target is very achievable.

As a consumer, you can make small decisions to make the world around you greener. Your purchasing habits and decisions determine what the future will look like.

The climate is changing, are you?

Climate change is here. And although we receive a lot of negative news, we still have a chance to make a difference.

It is important to debunk the climate change myths and move the planet into a green movement. We believe that every step counts and telling others about these myths is a good first step:

Would you like to stay in touch? Find us on social media