Carbon dioxide is toxic, yet it is essential in our daily lives. If we take all of it away at once, our lives will collapse.
No humans? No problems! Since the start of the Industrial Era, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has skyrocketed. Whether or not you believe in the correlation between human behaviour and climate change, the negative effects of carbon dioxide are undeniable. Carbon dioxide is unhealthy and toxic for us at an individual level. So... why shouldn't we get rid of all our carbon emissions?
Carbon emissions have an impact on the environment, but to simply take all of it away would be disastrous. Realistically, humanity relies so heavily on natural gases that if fossil fuel and coal were suddenly prohibited, our lives would collapse. “33.2% of U.S. electricity came from coal” and “America relies on its domestic supplies as well as imports of petroleum—about one-quarter of the amount we consume…” (“The National Academies Presents: What You Need to Know About Energy.”).
"33.2% of U.S. electricity came from coal"
We rely on gas (fossil fuels) for our cooking, heating, and transportation. To suddenly cut it down by even ½ would mean that we would not be able to live conveniently or in modern society - imagine taking all of it away! This would mean no air conditioning or heating, no transportation that relies on fuel, and much less electricity. Flights would be exponentially expensive because of their unavailability, hospital patients would not have their needs adequately fulfilled, and schools would be a difficult place to learn.
Additionally, Joseph A Olson wrote in an article published on Infowars that: “The whole concept of ‘greenhouse gas’ is absurd. The earth receives a full spectrum of electromagnetic radiation by day (Duh!) but by night only a portion, the infrared stored on the surface, is radiated back into space.” (Olson, Joseph A). Climate change should be mitigated because of its harmful effects… but how? If there isn’t a clear understanding of what climate change is and what causes it, then we cannot adjust accordingly. In fact, we won’t be able to change our lifestyle at all if global issues aren't actually considered an issue. Perspectives on Procon.org claim that Earth is warming naturally like it did during the Neoproterozoic period which was somewhere between 600 and 800 million years ago. (“Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible for Global Climate Change?”) Nonetheless, most scientific research proves that we are the cause of climate change. The conclusion of this is a compromise between the two extremes is to live in moderation and careful reduction. Whether or not the Earth is warming naturally, our carbon pollution is adding to that.
