By Sterling PerkinsWe are all going to burn. At least, that聮s what the most radical global-warming advocates would have you believe.On the other hand, the most rampant opponents of climate change, the deniers, believe nothing out of the ordinary is going on with Mother Nature.The truth lies somewhere in the middle. And it is in this middle that we will find solutions and progress 聴 not in the never-ending rhetoric and redundancies that seem to be engulfing most climate-change discussions. Yes, the planet is warming at unprecedented rates and industry doesn聮t seem to care. But people have started noticing.According to a poll conducted by the University of Texas, rising temperatures, rampant wildfires and a drought that has devastated crops across the United States have led 70 per cent of Americans to now believe in climate change. They had to see it to believe it. Better late than never.It appears climate change has finally caught the public聮s attention. If people aren聮t thinking about it, they are certainly feeling it. The month of July was the hottest ever on record in the U.S.For too long the global-warming advocates have spoken in dire terms. They have managed to alienate average people by playing the blame game and using technical and ambiguous terminology. In their paper, Climate Change and Moral Judgment, Ezra Markowitz and Azim Shariff of the University of Oregon blame the general public聮s hitherto lacklustre embrace of the reality and dangers of climate change on, among other things, the abstractness and complexity of the issue.But with people now opening their minds to the issue, and to possible solutions, the green movement has a second chance to show what can be done.With crop shortages and consequent rising food prices, global warming is coming with a price. When people begin to physically and financially see and feel the effects of climate change, they will want solutions.In his book, Earth Discipline: An Eco-Pragmatist Manifesto, ecologist and environmentalist Stewart Brand cites urbanization, nuclear power, biotechnology and geo-engineering as tools we can use to deal with global warming.Traditionally most green players have opposed all of these, though their opposition has tended to be based on principle more than science, logic and potential for success. But governments and some industries might embrace them. More importantly, so may society as a whole.The green movement has attempted to scold the world for what people have done to the planet. The scolding hasn聮t worked. The general public needs a calm delivery of solid, unbiased and relevant information. It needs a friend with answers, not a parent with lessons.The world is listening and ready for solutions. People want to know about renewable energy and the long-term cost savings it could represent. People want to know how the planet can be preserved so that their children and grandchildren can have the same quality of life they do.An engaged and informed population is more powerful than any lobby group or corporation. People are paying attention, and their time is valuable. Please don聮t reward it with more rhetoric; the planet can聮t afford it.聴 Sterling Perkins is a Concordia University student pursuing a BA with a major in political science and a minor in human environment. He wrote this for the Montreal Gazette.
