Episode 1
Myth 1 and Myth 2 about Climate Change
Episode Summary: In this episode, we unpack 2 of the 10 myths around climate change.
Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Jenn Swanson and Imma Lopez.
From Langley in British Columbia, Canada, Jenn is a Minister, Coach, Writer and Community Connector, helping people help themselves. Imma is from Cádiz in the South of Spain, living in Aberdeen, Scotland. Imma is a sommelier, a poet, a podcaster, a mother, a slow food advocate, and an animist activist.
Having contributed to many areas of the Carbon Almanac, Jenn and Imma came together to discuss a number of different environmental issues.
In this episode, Inma talks about how one of the myths is that climate change is nothing new because the climate is always changing. The real myth is that it is not a problem but how many record-breaking years of rising temperature will it take to change this view?
The second myth is about cold weather showing that the climate isn’t changing. They discuss the extremes of weather and how one town no longer exists!
For more information on the project, and to pre-order your copy of the Carbon Almanac, visit thecarbonalmanac.org
Want to join in the conversation?
Visit thecarbonalmanac.org/podcasts and send us a voice message on this episode or any other climate-related ideas and perspectives.
Don’t Take Our Word For It, Look It Up!
You can find out more on pages 32 and 33 of the Carbon Almanac and on the website you can tap the footnotes link and type in 342.
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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.
Transcript
10 Myths About Climate Change (Myths 1 and 2) - TRANSCRIPTS
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INTRO
INMA:Hi, my name is Inma.
JENN:Hi, my name is Jenn.
INMA:Today? What do you think, Jen, can we talk about the first myth about climate change?
JENN:The first myth? How many myths are there?
INMA:Well, at least as far as I know in the Carbon Almanac they are talking about 10 myths.
JENN:Wow. That's a lot of myths. Okay. What's the first myth,
INMA:The first myth, which is interesting, is climate change is nothing new. The climate is always changing.
JENN:That's true.
INMA:It's true. I said, why is it, why is that in myth what do you think?
JENN:Uh, that's true, but my understanding is that it's changing a lot faster than it used to.
INMA:That's where that myth comes from. Because for some people I don't see that is happening much often, nowadays. Five years ago, I heard many people saying, oh no, no, no. That is a myth. That is a problem. Climate has always been changing is not a problem. That's the myth. The myth is that is not a problem.
JENN: record have taken place since: INMA:Yeah. So that's, that's really fast. And, um, For, for the planet to take in all those changes and be able to continue that is much faster than organically could have happened. So it's us,
JENN:it's us.
INMA:It's us.
JENN:It's the human species and all the things that we're doing. Oh my goodness. So, so that's a myth. And how do we change that myth in the minds of people?
INMA:Well, most of it is coming from fuel emissions and gas and carbon coal oil, gas, all that is a big, big, big, big part of those fast changes.
INMA: personally. I sold my car in: INMA:Join others and advocate together taking responsibility.
JENN:I live on the west coast of Canada. And one of the things we've got here is incentives to switch from gas-powered vehicles to electric. And so the government gives us grants if we do that. And so there are provincial and federal grants that can be accessed if you give up your guest's car and purchase even a used electric vehicle. The problem right now is that everyone is doing this one is doing it and they're hard to find.
INMA:Yeah, of course. Of course, of course. And of course, for example, I heard the other day that in the Paris agreement, fuel and oil, and no, that was not even named.
INMA:So they are fighting for governments and countries to sign a treaty about stopping emissions and stopping prospection for the future. I think that could be interesting for us to endorse, to tell, our countries on our all governments to sign petitions, to tell them, to sign this treaty.
JENN:I wonder if local governments can do things too.
JENN:Like I wonder if you can start with your city or your village or your town. And speak to them about the vehicles that are driven by the city and start there, or even the post, uh, the postal system, but the system by more bakers that are oil-powered, for example, right. Right. That's a good thing.
JENN:A good place to start. And, and for ourselves, maybe we can do some small things like walk somewhere instead of getting in the car.
INMA:it’s an amazing exercise. And this time of the year is perfect for the Northern hemisphere at least it's perfect to go around and walk.
JENN:Yes. It's, it's not too nice out right now where I am.
JENN:It's raining, but that's okay. You can get an umbrella on some boots and
JENN:we won't melt. No.
INMA:Yeah. What more. And, um, as much as you can use public transport and electric car, if it can be, can be possible to, to buy and then join strength with others to sign petitions for our government.
JENN:So climate change is nothing new, but maybe we need to look at it in a new way.
INMA:Yeah. And be aware.
INMA:Yeah.
JENN:Good. Well, thanks for this conversation, Inma.
INMA:Thank you, Jen. Thank you.
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INMA:Hi, I’m Inma
INMA:Hi I’m Jenn.
INMA:So what is the second myth of our conversations? Jen,
JENN:Yes, the second myth…
INMA:..is like we’re sceptical like Earth is not really warming up. It's just because you go outside and it's cold. So how, how come, how come the air be warmer? I don't feel that way.
JENN:So the myth is that global warming isn't real because it's still cold outside. That's the myth?
INMA:That’s the myth
JENN:Oh my goodness.
INMA:Yes.
JENN:Oh, that's, that's a big myth.
INMA:Yeah.
JENN: , which is, um, the summer of: JENN:And people don't know how to be in that kind of heat. We're not used to that. We're used to some sun, some heat and a lot of rain. Yes. And so, um, along with that, came a terrible wildfire season. And our wildfire seasons in this province have been getting worse and worse. And unfortunately, we had an entire town burned down.
JENN:Um, we lost the town of Lytton, British Columbia and L Y T T O N. And the entire town caught fire. And it's just gone. That was last summer. And I know that they are not yet rebuilt, starting to rebuild because of all the devastation. So the myth that things aren't getting warmer, at least where I live is absolutely not true.
INMA:Yeah. Here we are also feeling the heat in summer in the north, of Scotland. Summers, normally could be 16 degrees, 18 degrees. Last year before and the year before we got to 24, 26 degrees, uh, and the thing is, it's not steady, it goes up, up, up and then goes rain and wind. And so it's quite unbalanced, what we are living in the last few summers.
JENN:Yeah, we were 41 degrees last summer. Yeah. And it was very scary. Yes. So I know that a lot of people are putting in air conditioners or heat pumps, which are better for the environment than air conditioning. But it's an interesting concept that just because it's cold outside, we think that the whole earth isn't warming up
INMA:No. One of the more, maybe most dangerous effects of the war is the ice melting from the North Pole? All right. Um, well I, at least for, for everyone who lives in the in cost lines is going to be really dangerous for now. So no, it's, the earth is warming up really quick, actually,
JENN:even if it feels cold outside in general, the earth is warming up.
JENN:And so. Um, it's important to start thinking about what we can do and yeah.
INMA:And see that as a reality instead of thinking that, oh, because it's cold side, it's not true that, uh, the earth is warming, but no, it's, it's a reality. It's, it's better to be aware of that reality.
JENN:So let's shift the thinking a little bit.
INMA:Yeah, yeah. Get around it better. Yeah.
JENN:Let's hope for a cooler summer this summer,
INMA:This hope for that. Thank you Jenn.
JENN:Thanks Inma.
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