Read on Twitter
Friends, the office closed early today and the holiday is about to start, so I would like to share with you my first annual pre-thanksgiving tweet thread 1/
First off, no food item is best, necessary, or inappropriate on Thanksgiving--if you and yours like it. It’s the best holiday of the year, enjoy it and let others do the same 2/
There is much to be thankful for. People in the US are lucky to live in a relatively free country with a good economy and solid foundations. It’s worth fighting to keep 3/
Post meal, do not avoid discussions of climate change with your crazy uncle or naive niece. It’s an important issue and it demands way more attention than it gets. 4/
Many will say to talk about shared values and avoid the science, but I say stuff that. Dig in and don’t stop till they are full like it was pumpkin pie. Hit ‘em with everything you got. Here are some graphs that you can show them. 5/
CO2 is increasing because we emit a lot of it and it takes a long time to leave the atmosphere. Current levels are flying past 410 ppm, about ~45% increase over preindustrial 5/
As a result, recent global temperatures are near record levels and 2019 will rank amongst the hottest years on recorded. ht @ClimateOfGavin 6/ https://twitter.com/ClimateOfGavin/status/1195427546164350978?s=20
Sea level is accelerating and will swamp lots of places where people live in the coming decades. (sweet video) 7/
And the negative effects of climate change will be increasingly felt as the few positive effects will kinda stall out. This is a significant risk for the global economy, not just polar bears. 8/
And don’t forget to remind them that on all these points, there is a high level of scientific agreement. Scientific consensus ends at what to do about it or how to respond to these risks. 9/
If at any point, you get a “but the scientists are falsifying the data” or “here’s my esoteric theory about the ozone layer” our friend @johnfocook built a searchable database for exactly that situation. Don’t relent. 10/
https://skepticalscience.com/
https://skepticalscience.com/
Seriously, if they buck, ask them what they think global temperatures were in the late 19th century. Ask them what they think global temperatures are today. Ask them why. 11/
After you lay the base, ask them what they think we should do as individuals, as a family (or social relation of your choice), and as a country. Let the question hang out there if there is no answer. 12/
There are climate solutions that fit every level of concern about climate change and its effects, that fit every ideological persuasion, and will meaningfully make our society more resilient as we manage these risks. 13/
Remind them that the world isn’t ending in 12 years. And people who are trying to scare everyone to death aren’t helping anything. 14/
After the dust-up, go ahead and throw on The Last Waltz, now streaming on Amazon Prime, because it is the best Thanksgiving movie of all time and to show your boomer uncle will you have something in common. end/
