Real climate science is
not up for debate.
Let’s break down the facts and bust the myths to help protect our kids’ future.
MYTH:
We’ve always had extreme weather, it’s natural.
FACT:
We’ve always had extreme weather, but human-caused climate change is making it a lot worse.
Heatwaves are now longer, hotter, and more frequent. More of our rain comes in the form of torrential downpours that can lead to flooding. Hurricanes are stronger, intensify more rapidly, and deliver heavier rain. Wildfires burn larger areas and their season has expanded. Unless we stop emitting heat-trapping carbon pollution, these extreme events will keep getting worse.
We’re breaking down the basics of extreme weather, how it relates to climate change, and what’s at stake for our kids’ future.
Learn about extreme weather.
MYTH:
Climate change isn’t
settled science.
FACT:
Virtually all climate scientists agree it is.
Over 99% of climate scientists agree on the basic facts about climate change, it’s real, it’s human-caused, it’s harming people now, but it’s solvable. Actually, the main uncertainty is us.
How much sea levels rise, how bad hurricanes get, or how many people are forced to flee their homes will depend on how quickly humans stop pumping pollution into the air. One thing is absolutely certain: The longer we wait to act, the worse it will be.
Learn from climate experts Learn about why climate change is a real, human-made threat that needs to be tackled ASAP.
MYTH:
Climate change is a
natural phenomenon.
FACT:
It’s not Earth. It’s us.
The climate has changed naturally in the past, but that’s not what’s happening today. Right now, the world is warming up to 50 times faster than it has previously. That’s because humans have burned billions of tons of coal, oil and natural gas, which release carbon pollution into the air that traps the sun’s heat.
That pollution can remain in the air for thousands of years, making the planet hotter and hotter. Right now, there is already a thick blanket of carbon pollution surrounding the earth, dangerously warming the planet.
MYTH:
Climate change is way off
in the distant future.
FACT:
It’s happening right now.
We’re not talking about some far off threat. Heat-trapping pollution is already harming people right here, right now.
Across the country, we’re experiencing record-breaking disasters. In the west, hot, dry conditions are fueling massive fires, with smoke that blocks out the sun and poisons the air. In the southwest, historic droughts threaten our food supply. And in the south, warmer oceans are fueling stronger, deadlier hurricanes that are destroying people’s homes and lives.
MYTH:
It might get bad, but America
can handle it.
FACT:
If left unchecked, climate change could break us.
The heat trapped by the thickening pollution blanket will make virtually every extreme weather event more deadly and destructive.
And these disasters are increasingly happening at the same time, destroying more homes and businesses, leaving many people with no way to recover. After all, there is only so much emergency relief available. Eventually, communities will get overwhelmed.
MYTH:
There is nothing we can
do about it.
FACT:
There is still time to address it! (But not much.)
It’s not too late to prevent the worst case scenarios. But to do so, we must stop polluting, and that means moving from fossil fuels to the clean, renewable energy sources of the 21st century. As a society, we already have the technology to build a clean economy that creates millions of jobs and a stable world. But we must act now. As mothers and citizens, the most important thing we can do is join forces. Moms, united, can give our children the safe and prosperous future they deserve.
Learn about climate change solutions.
To learn more about how the changing climate will affect us and our children, watch “Global Weirding” by one of our very own Science Moms, Katharine Hayhoe.
