The Realignment 395 | David Lipsky: Climate Change, the Culture Wars, and the Path to Denial
Aug 10, 2023
David Lipsky, author of The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial, talks about the evolution of climate change, climate policy roads not taken, the line between science denial and policy debate, the ability of the American political system to solve climate change, missed opportunities for national service, and reflections on research and storytelling.
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Alternate History: Action Could Have Curbed Risk
- If policy shifted in the 1980s–90s, we might have constrained warming to modest impacts.
- Technological and policy choices then could have avoided much of today's climate risk.
Overstatement Undermines Credibility
- Overstatement by advocates and skeptics alike fuels polarization and weakens long-term credibility.
- Hyperbolic forecasts (the parrot) and mocking short-term weather events (the igloo) both harm public understanding.
Borlaug's Green Revolution Saved Millions
- Norman Borlaug's dwarf wheat dramatically raised global food supply and defused some population-crisis predictions.
- Agricultural innovation changed outcomes predicted by 1970s population alarmists.