Switching Off Denial

7:30PM Thursday 12 February 2015 Bar21
Sceptics (or skeptics!) are people who don’t take things at face value; they demand facts, and are ready to change opinions based on the weight of evidence, even if that goes against personal preferences or beliefs.

Deniers, on the other hand, refuse to accept evidence that conflicts with their personal beliefs, desires or ideology. People in denial gather reasons and excuses, however flimsy, that allow them to not believe in whatever unwelcome truth they’re trying to avoid.

[caption id="attachment_452" align="aligncenter" width="720"]Cartoon by Polyp. Cartoon by Polyp.[/caption]

No serious sceptic could doubt that human-caused climate change is real, and serious – the evidence is just too overwhelming. However, many people are still in a state of denial over climate change, for a wide range of reasons. Fortunately, opinion polls show that the majority of the public accept the reality of the climate problem however, the number of people who take climate change seriously seems to be slipping back in some countries.

In his talk Dan Chivers will equip us with some handy weapons (otherwise known as science and facts) for tackling climate change denial head-on. See more at New Internationalist.

Dan holds a degree and two Masters in environmental science and politics, and is also the author of the upcoming "No-Nonsense Guide to Renewable Energy".