4 out of 5 Physicians Agree...
“If you went to 100 doctors, and 97 of them said you had cancer, you’d believe them, right? Or would you take the advice of the 3 who said you were fine?”
The above is a fairly popular argument, one which I’ve used several times myself when engaging with someone who doesn’t “believe” in climate change, or climate action, or that climate change isn’t caused by people, or some variation of climate denial, or cynicism. The argument itself is meant to draw a comparison between a doctor (someone in the scientific community typically trusted) and a climate scientist- to show that a consensus of 97% is really a very, very big deal. If 97% of climate scientists say that climate change is a real and dangerous problem caused by humans, we must listen to them and do all we can to mitigate the affects.
Using the comparison between doctors and climate scientists to drive home the magnitude of discipline-wide consensus has really only worked for me a few times (maybe this is indicative of my poor rhetorical skills, maybe it just means that I come into contact with a lot of dorks) At this point though, whether or not the argumentative tool is useful or not, is sort of a moot point, because as of last week, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA, for those cool cats on the inside) went on the record, publicly stating that climate change is “a significant threat to public health.”
In this same week, the CMA also has announced its full and total divestment from the fossil fuel industry.
Just let that sink in... Canada’s doctors have collectively told us that the best strategy for a clean bill of health is as follows: make sure you exercise daily for 20 to 30 minutes, ensure your diet is rich in fruits and veggies, and ditch the fossil fuels.
The medical community backing climate action is nothing new; back in 2009 the World Health Organization deemed climate change “the biggest health threat of the 21st century” but I can’t help but feel that the CMA taking a stand means something, in a country so obsessed with it’s relationship with the fossil fuel industry.
For too long the Tar Sands have been credited with Canada’s contemporary success- as citizens we’re told by the government, the media and our peers that as a nation we would crumple without Big Oil there to prop us up- and this simply isn’t true. Putting aside the some $3.3 billion in Canadian government subsidies gifted to the fossil fuel industry every year- the tar sands are not good for the health of our country- economically, ecologically, socially, or personally, and the actions taken by the CMA these past weeks make that sickeningly clear (get it... sick? Like... health?)
Did I also mention that 3 of the top Insurance companies in the world called for fossil fuel divestment this week?
And that my main man Pope Franny said environmental destruction is a sin?
And that Investors controlling $13 trillion dollars called for G20 leaders to ratify the Paris Agreement?
Because that all happened too.
I guess when it really gets down to it, this post can be summed up with the following:
if anyone can figure out a way for me to convince my father of the realities of climate change, that would be great... because last time he and I chatted his focus couldn’t be torn away from the fact that bats are killed by wind turbines.