Your Opinion: Dangers of denial on climate change

Dear Editor:

If your physician told you that you had a cancer, would you tell him that is a hoax? Maybe you would if you were a conservative. Weekly we read in the Tribune letter forum some conservative stating that climate change or evolution is a hoax.

Prominent conservative politicians and right wing information sources lead this campaign. In time they will be totally discredited by facts and the march of time. Al Gore used the term "an inconvenient truth." Deniers like Senator Blunt or Representative Luetkemeyer will sadly be outed by events beyond their control.

The evolution of humans has bred a "fight or flight" species. A danger has to be imminent and obvious for most humans to respond. That is the flaw in our million year development. Civilizations biggest challenge to its future well-being is happening in geologic time. The next 500 years plus will test the ability of our species to survive. Coal, oil and natural gas were created over millions of years but now we are burning it up in a few hundred years. Our planet cannot handle such a rapid increase in CO2 and continue to provide a home for life as we know it. The greenhouse effect is a 200-year-old demonstrated result.

Too many conservatives scoff at human's ability to change the environment of our planet. They do not produce scientific studies to dispute the degradation of the planet by overuse of fossil fuels. Instead they talk of scientific conspiracy. They bluster and say climate change is a hoax. Based on what credible source?

Who is a credible source? How do you answer issues you find disturbing? What are facts and who accepts those facts? These are questions at the very heart of the most serious issues facing our culture.

In 1969 a Swiss psychiatrist wrote about the five stages of grief. We see that demonstrated in Tribune letters every month concerning climate change.

Those stages begin with denial and then anger. The next steps are not witnessed here but are bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Will serious problems be solved by denial of the problem? Denial slows down a necessary response. Deny that you have cancer, delay treatment and the results could be dangerous. Misguided leaders and uninformed citizens who elect them and wallow in denial are a definite danger to all of us.