Climate change denial and a message of hope.
The RAF hopes this Deep Dive clarifies the scientific reality of climate change.
The evidence is overwhelming: climate change is real, it is driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and it will plunge us into climate chaos if we fail to act.
But the science also points to a solution. Rapidly transitioning to renewable energy and alternative proteins would drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and protect the climate. At the same time, it would deliver clear co-benefits: consumers would save money, public health would improve, and economies would become stronger and more resilient.
Yet progress remains slow. Fossil fuel companies and factory farming and fishing continue expanding production, pushing the planet closer to dangerous climate tipping points.
Climate change denial persists largely for two reasons: ignorance and misinformation.
Ignorance reflects a lack of knowledge and can be addressed through open discussion. This Deep Dive provides the scientific evidence needed to do so.
Misinformation is different. For decades, fossil fuel and industrial agriculture interests – and their political allies – have relied on tactics such as cherry-picking data, ignoring evidence, citing outdated studies, drawing conclusions out of context, and suppressing inconvenient research. Without such distortions, their business models would struggle to withstand scientific, economic, and societal scrutiny.
More than 220 of the most common myths promoted by climate deniers have been systematically debunked by SkepticalScience:
Database deletion. The second Trump administration is not only dismantling climate change research in the USA, but also deleting all federal databases linked to Climate Change and Global Warming: Unexplainably, this urge also extends to federal health databases: Institutes around the world are rushing to preserve these databases.
Denial is also reinforced by a sense of helplessness. As climate risks intensify, ordinary people are often told they must bear the costs of mitigation and adaptation, while fossil fuel companies and industrial agriculture continue expanding production and profits. Meanwhile, the wealthiest 1% contribute disproportionately to emissions through highly carbon-intensive lifestyles.
Yet the situation is far from hopeless.
With determined government policies – supported by voters – we can correct the economic distortions created by fossil fuels, most biofuels, and factory farming and fishing, while restoring social fairness at little or no cost to consumers (see Chapter XIII, The Polluter must Pay/ Carbon Tax/ Popular Support).
We can still mitigate warming by accelerating this shift. We can redirect research toward removing CO2 from the atmosphere – rather than squandering precious resources on hubris projects like colonizing Mars. And we can deploy practical adaptation strategies that buy time.
One promising approach is Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB). By increasing the reflectivity of marine clouds, this relatively simple and environmentally benign technology could help cool the planet – refreeze the Arctic – and delay the crossing of critical tipping points. MCB forms part of the Climate Repair Deal – the “3Rs”: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and Refreeze the Arctic.
The Climate Repair Deal is still within reach.
Its success depends on two things: the policies we vote for and the choices we make in our daily lives. Small changes, multiplied across millions of people, can have enormous climatic impact.
This transition is not about sacrifice. Moving beyond fossil fuels, most biofuels, and factory farming and fishing would deliver better health, better jobs, fairer incomes, and a more resilient economy – at far lower cost than maintaining the status quo.
But the window is closing. Once climate tipping points are crossed, repair becomes far more costly and difficult – and most of the damage will be irreversible.
Acting now keeps the transition achievable and affordable.
And it offers something rare in public policy: a future where we are healthier, more secure, and more prosperous – while protecting the only home we have.
A future where the planet we pass on to our children and grandchildren is not diminished but thriving.
So, the real question is not whether we can afford the Climate Repair Deal.
The real question is whether we can afford not to choose it.
