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5-point climate change belief scale
May 2009 
The 5-Point Climate Change Belief Scale
Posted on Aug 13th, 2007
by 
~C4Chaos
~C4Chaos
(Crossposted from www.c4chaos.com)
The latest episode of The Stuart Davis Show wrestles with the issue of Climate Change. The video is as funny as it is intellectual. Both the pro and con sides of Climate Change were brilliantly argued, from the environmental up to the spiritual perspective.
But I really wonder what Stu's position on Climate Change really is. Is he a Cassandra, or a Dorothy? Or a little bit of both? (Note: Check out the essay, Winning and Losing the Global Warming Debate, for more context.)
The Stuart Davis Show - Episode 12 - A Foothill in the Mouth
Taking a cue from Richard Dawkins' belief scale below --
"On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is certitude that God exists and 7 is certitude that God does not exist, Dawkins rates himself a 6: 'I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.'"
I've come up with a simplified 5-point Climate Change belief scale.
On the extreme end are the Cassandras -- the alarmist position (think Al Gore) believing that there is scientific consensus on the issues of Climate Change and that we only have a few years to act before the planet is decimated by melting polar ice caps, strong hurricanes and other disasters. On the other extreme end are the Dorothies -- aka "climate change deniers" (think Michael Crichton) who believe that the Earth is indeed warming up but computer models can't prove squat because we don't know enough anything about the climate to predict the weekly weather let alone the weather and climate for the next 50 to 100 years.
Take note however that the belief scale is not intended to inflame the debate. I've created it as a tool for self-reflection.
Here's how to use the scale. Based on our own personal knowledge and belief, let's do some personal reflection using the belief scale above. After that, let's ask ourselves whether our actions reflect our belief.
For example, if you rate your self as a 5 on the scale, does your action reflect this belief? Do you still drive a Hummer? Are you switching to vegetarianism to lessen your environmental footprint?
Allow me to start and rate myself as honestly as I can. Based on the information I've digested from the mainstream media, scientific debates and my layman's research, I rate myself as 2. I believe that the Earth is warming up and we're contributing to it. But I don't buy the doom and gloom scenario. I believe that we don't need to be scared of Climate Change in order to take action and clean up our act on our environment. As for the action I'm taking, I would rate myself as if my actions are coming from someone who has a belief rated at 3. Why? I do my best to recycle stuff. My current lifestyle enables me to reduce my carbon footprint because I rarely drive my car. I do carpooling with my friends most of the time. I continue to do personal research on Climate Change and share it with others (see zPod:CLIMATE CHANGE) so I can stay informed on the latest findings so that I can re-evaluate my position when necessary.
But enough about me. How do you rate yourself on the 5-point Climate Change belief scale? And why?
Access: Public
The only problem I have about your scale is I'm not so sure that The Cassandras/ Al Gore followers are the doom and gloom 'let's change right now types or else” . I mean I've heard of worse scenarios of doom and gloom such as the “end of the world”/apocalyptic end from hard core believers, where the mark of the beast is happening now and there's all kinds of craziness like diseases we can't control (bird flu), etc. And if you are not a follower then you'll dead for sure type of doom and gloom. So, maybe we can be more clear about doom and gloom scenarios on the scale.
If Al Gore is a 5, then I'm a 5. I pretty much think my actions reflect his, although I don't go around telling people the world is going to end soon and harrass them about reducing carbon admissions. Personally, I think his slideshow was about how people are contributing to the climate change, not necessary that soon we will all die from extreme weather changes. Most people still don't believe they are effecting the climate in anyway shape or form, not even a little bit. I mean can't they see the smog when they drive to work, duh? Yes it is difficult to say scientifically that the weather is changing in extremes, but it's not difficult to understand that at some point we will run out of natural resources which will support the doubling population of gas guzzlers. Not to say that it is happening right now at this moment type of thing, but eventually it will. We just don't know exactly when is the problem. Even Gore says this, but his argument is to do something rather than do nothing.
Thank you, ~C, this has certainly improved my self-assessment. I'm a moderate Dorothy!