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I had an eye-opening conversation with a co-worker recently, who unexpectedly disagreed with me about the fact that CO2 was causing global warming. She is an in

I had an eye-opening conversation with a co-worker recently, who unexpectedly disagreed with me about the fact that CO2 was causing global warming. She is an intelligent mechanical engineer, who seems to be very progressive otherwise. Eventually she revealed that the reason that she feels this way is because she is a pretty serious Christian who is trying to reconcile her creationist upbringing with modern science. Since historical CO2 levels are obtained from a "fossil record" of arctic ice cores and geological samples, the evidence for the historical correlation between global warming and CO2 presupposes a certain age and history of the earth which contradicts the creationist myths. I am sure that this is a common issue among such people, since if such a person is to accept the geological evidence for anthropogenic global warming, they have to face a deep contradiction to a long-held worldview and belief system (a contradiction that is actually tangential to the issue of global warming.)

nashashmi 9y ago
I also had a conversation with a liberal yet church-going person who would refuse to believe that humans are causing the world to fall apart. The argument here is God created the world for humans and with bountiful resources. So then why would the Earth be heating up and if it is, how could that be bad? It is a common behavior among many conservatives to find holes in climate change like the theories mentioned in your anecdote, but it is extreme and a sign of desperation. I would not give too much importance to it. But what seems to give conservatives and religious individuals reasons to go green is that * Going green increases efficiencies in our consumption of resources * invents new solutions to old problems * and excessive waste corrupts individuals and societies. If climate change activists can beat these three drums more often than waste time telling stories of an Armageddon that may or may not come true, I think we could lead a more healthier march towards green tech.
charlieflowers 9y ago
I'm pretty sure that belief in a "young Earth" is not the mainstream Christian belief. I'd guess it's held by a sizable minority (maybe ballpark 30%).

nashashmi 9y ago

I also had a conversation with a liberal yet church-going person who would refuse to believe that humans are causing the world to fall apart. The argument here is God created the world for humans and with bountiful resources. So then why would the Earth be heating up and if it is, how could that be bad? It is a common behavior among many conservatives to find holes in climate change like the theories mentioned in your anecdote, but it is extreme and a sign of desperation. I would not give too much importance to it. But what seems to give conservatives and religious individuals reasons to go green is that * Going green increases efficiencies in our consumption of resources * invents new solutions to old problems * and excessive waste corrupts individuals and societies. If climate change activists can beat these three drums more often than waste time telling stories of an Armageddon that may or may not come true, I think we could lead a more healthier march towards green tech.

charlieflowers 9y ago

I'm pretty sure that belief in a "young Earth" is not the mainstream Christian belief. I'd guess it's held by a sizable minority (maybe ballpark 30%).