Jonathan Frazen’s 2019 New Yorker article entitled, “What If We Stopped Pretending” was both a controversial and eye opening piece. At its core, Frazen’s article also proliferates a dangerous climate myth which has caused many who remain on the fence about climate change to rethink their stance. To paraphrase the article, Frazen uses a recent IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) report to support his argument that Earth and Humanity are beyond the point of no return. He also uses his interpretation of the American political system to predict that even radical policy changes are too polarising to allow for the diversion from a doomsday climate emergency.
“Our atmosphere and oceans can absorb only so much heat before climate change, intensified by various feedback loops, spins completely out of control. The consensus among scientists and policy-makers is that we’ll pass this point of no return if the global mean temperature rises by more than two degrees Celsius (maybe a little more, but also maybe a little less).” (1)
Whilst Frazen’s article has been heavily criticized by climate scientists, the article itself reveals a much more societal issue when it comes to the layperson's interpretation of climate science. On first glance, many scientific publications seem to lay out a rather dire and depressing future for the human race. If certain goals, such as temperature or CO2 emission targets are not reached within a given time period, then climate effects will be irreversible. Therefore, why should someone sacrifice their living standards in an attempt to quell climate changes that are ultimately inevitable.
However, the idea that there is a set point of no return has been heavily disputed by scientists. Daniel Kammen, a climate researcher from the University of California Berkeley, stated in a piece for KQED,
“‘No one has a precise year, has a precise number, that if you exceed this all hope is lost,’ he said. ‘That is just not the scientific fact.’” (2)
Other scientists gave similar sentiments through Twitter, stating that two degrees of warming can not be seen as a final scientific margin for a “point of no return”. (3)
Therefore, the idea that the climate is at a point beyond saving is not only scientifically flawed, it is highly dangerous. If one is to give up on the idea of protecting the environment because they believe that it is a losing battle. Then they are contributing even more towards its possible defeat.
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