In the first keynote address of the Stewardship or Sacrifice conference, Dr. Michael Mann gave a very accessible, informative presentation on the causes and likely effects of global warming. While reviewing the strong evidence that global warming is human-caused (as provided by temperature measurements and computer climate models), Mann distinguished between what he calls climate “contrarians” and climate skeptics. Whereas skepticism can be a healthy attitude in science, contrarianism is an attitude that rejects overwhelming evidence in order to maintain some preferred set of beliefs. Mann noted that those who deny that global warming is human-caused are contrarians in this sense, because they reject such substantial evidence.

Next, Mann discussed some of the likely effects of global warming, such as more intense heatwaves, sea level rise, a decrease in agricultural productivity, the spread of tropical diseases, droughts, and flooding. These effects might facilitate grave social consequences, such as wars over scarce resources and refugees driven from their homes by sea level rise or famine. The keynote closed with a discussion of the ethics of climate change. As several speakers have pointed out at this conference, many who are likely to suffer the worst effects of climate change are among those least responsible for the problem. This raises important issues of justice and suggests that those of us who produce high greenhouse gas emissions are morally responsible for the grave harms those emissions are likely to cause others.

The conference concludes tonight (Oct. 8th) with a keynote address by Rev. Canon Sally Bingham on religious responses to climate change at 7:00, followed by a response from Dr. Nancy Tuana. The conference is taking place at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center and is free and open to the public.

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