climate change

Why Do People Reject Science?

News

Climate change. Vaccines. Evolution. People debate about these topics—and many others—even when they’re not an expert. In fact, many claim to know more than the experts. Why? No one would tell a rocket scientist how to calculate trajectory. No one would tell an open heart surgeon where to begin. And yet, people tell climate scientists the data is wrong. They tell doctors they know more about vaccines then they do. They tell biologists evolution is baloney.

It seems, however, that Americans love science. 79 percent of Americans say that science has made life better for them, and 70 percent support the government investing in science. That being said, these numbers have fallen since 2009. The American people’s trust in scientists has stayed the same for many years.

So why are so many people rejecting science?

What We Want

An article from Science Alert claims that this is all simply psychology. People hand pick their facts to support their conclusion and ignore anything that opposes them. This is known as cognitive bias, and it’s very normal. We’ve known for years that people do this.

It’s all about maintaining the status quo. Even when people see the real facts next to their distorted beliefs, they remain firm. Often, if people accept science, they would have to make a change. It’s easier to reject the things they don’t want to hear than to fix the problem.

Many who don’t believe in evolution cite the Bible as evidence against it. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 50 percent of adults who attend church weekly don’t believe in evolution at all, while another 24 percent believe that evolution was guided by a “supreme being.” These people probably like having evidence for God. They’ve believed for years that their story of creation is the truth. That isn’t something many would drop because of what scientists say.

What We Hear

Studies suggest that U.S. adults don’t know how widespread some scientific conclusions are. 37 percent of U.S. adults think that scientists do not agree on climate change. The fact is that nearly all climate scientists agree global warming is real and a problem we need to fix. People simply don’t know what scientists know.

It’s easy to see why. Science is becoming a political issue. According to the Center for American Progress Fund, over one-fourth of our current Congress does not believe in climate change. All of these members are Republican, and they account for 60 percent of Republican representatives in Congress. Outside of Congress, 82 percent of Democrats believe that global warming is happening, compared to only 50 percent of Republicans.

Senator Ted Cruz, a former presidential candidate and a Republican representing Texas, does not believe in climate change. In a 2015 interview with the National Public Radio, Senator Cruz said, “the scientific evidence doesn’t support global warming.” He went on to claim that global warming was made up so liberal politicians could get more power. Senator Cruz is viewed favorably with 45 percent of Texans. He influences a lot of people; Texas has the second largest population of any state. If this is what our representatives are saying, what else could we?

What We Know

Another reason why people may reject or mistrust science is because it’s not something they know a lot about. In a study from the Pew Research Center, only 19 percent of U.S. adults with high science knowledge said the risk of side effects from the MMR vaccine were medium or high. In comparison, 47 percent of adults with low science knowledge said the same thing.

To people without a science background, differing opinions may seem to hold the same amount of credibility. Their pediatrician may be drowned out by anti-vax moms on Facebook. Everyone wants what’s best for their kids and their family.

Of course, scientists make mistakes. Many medical symptoms are based off of those for a young white male. Women’s symptoms often go overlooked because they’re not well taught. It’s okay to question science, but the danger comes in rejecting it. In the end, it’s important to make sure that people listen to science. However, we shouldn’t do so in a judgmental or condescending way. We need to be understanding, kind, and respectful. As long as people who reject science are in the minority, we’ll be okay.

Who is Killing the Earth?

environment, News

It is an indisputable fact that the Earth is getting warmer. Study after study after study has proven time and time again that temperatures are rising at an alarming rate. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and creatures everywhere are losing their homes to human growth. 97 percent of climate scientists agree that there is a problem. We cannot ignore this any longer.

Every day we see articles giving advice on how you, the average citizen, can stop global warming. If we all do our part, they claim, it will make a huge difference.

It’s time to stop pretending that the average citizen is to blame for this record level pollution. Only 100 companies produce 71 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the 2017 Carbon Majors Report. Most of these companies are fossil fuels producers.

Starbucks has started to phase out straws, but the new straw-less lids use more plastic than the straws and old lids did. These lids are recyclable, which is an improvement, but only if they get recycled. Statistically speaking, they won’t be. Only 9.5 percent of plastic is recycled. Over 75 percent ends up in landfills. According to the New York Times, Memphis’ airport (which has three Starbucks) has recycling bins, but everything placed in them goes to the landfill with the trash. Furthermore, an ocean clean up project found that 65 percent of plastic products cleaned up were from Coca Cola, Pepsi, or Nestle.

We blame residents for not recycling when many areas don’t pick up recycling. According to a 2016 report from The Recycling Partnership, only 53 percent of the United States has automatic access to curbside recycling. Curbside recycling is when it gets picked up from your house, the way garbage does. Without curbside recycling, residents have to take their recycling to a facility, sometimes across town. Many people don’t want to put this kind of effort in.

Alternatively, residents may pay for a private collector to pick up their recyclables. However, this could cost anywhere from $5 to $25 a month. In addition, fees could be added if you have more than one bin. Some may not be able to afford this, while others simply don’t care enough to pay for such a service.  

The government must lead the way to save our planet. Many are trying. Nearly 200 counties signed the Paris Climate Agreement, an agreement to make plans to cut emissions. In 2017, President Donald Trump pulled the United States out, despite overwhelming nation-wide support for the agreement.

Source: Marlon, J.R., Fine, E., and Leiserowitz, A. (2017). A majority of Americans in every state say the U.S. should participate in the Paris Climate Agreement. Yale University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

That being said, even in the countries that are still a part of the agreement, goals are not being met. Furthermore, an article posted in Nature claims that the goals set by member nations are not enough to save the planet. But the Paris agreement is not binding. Nothing is stopping any country from not doing its part.

We, as humans, have to make a change. I want to see a world that future generations can thrive in, and not one plagued by extreme weather, decreased biodiversity, and rising sea levels that consumes the land we live on. Rejecting science and ignoring evidence will kill the Earth if we’re not careful.

So please, be careful.

For more information, review the sources below.