ID: 2230
Presenting Author: Thomas Mugo
Session: 686 - Climate Change Impact Assessment: Countering Misinformation with Science
Status: pending
Climate Change has equally faced pushback especially in this age of misinformation and disinformation.
The ongoing increase in global average temperatures and its effects on Earth’s climate system; primarily caused by humans burning fossils, deforestation and some agricultural practices that add GHGs and CO2. CO2 absorbs some of the heat that the earth radiates after it warms from sunlight. These gases trap more heat in the earth's lower atmosphere causing global warming.
Since 1800, anthropogenic activities have been the driver of climate change due to burning of fuels-oil, gas & coal which produce heat trapping gases-GHG. There is a consensus within the scientific community that anthropogenic activities (human induced activities) are the major causes of the atmospheric pollution leading to climate change. Since the historic Paris Climate Accords of 2015, there have been efforts to limit global heating below 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level.Climate Change is therefore scientifically proven. It’s no longer a hoax; the pursuit of global liberal agenda or some sort of radical fundamentalism.
The problem of climate disinformation and the misinformation war has misled the public leading to little or zero facts on climate science. The effect being little public pressure on national leaders to take faster & bolder actions. Traditional & social media plus an army of lobbyists play a role in information war.
By tackling disinformation and asserting that climate crisis is scientifically indisputable is part of the long-term solutions of informing the public about the facts about climate change.
At the global level, there is the ongoing annual COP- (Conference.
Thomas G. Mugo is a Safety, Health & Environment Specialist with 14 years of experience in the oil & gas industry. He is a holder of BSc. Disaster Management from Masinde Muliro University.