Climate Change - The Elevator Pitch

[greenman3610]

When we interviewed two dozen scientists in San Francisco in December, John Cook of skepticalscience.com
had the brilliant idea to ask each of them one last question -
"Ok, you're getting on an elevator with someone, and they say, -
"So you're a climate scientist - what's all this about climate change and
global warming?"
"You've got 10 floors. Go."

We got a range of answers from some of the best known minds in the
world, as well as a number of 'not the usual suspects".
I've pulled together two of these so far, and have posted Katharine
Hayhoe's first, here.
More to come...

[freedom fighter jh]

1. If there is one person who will avert climate catastrophe

I think it will be this woman, Katharine Hayhoe.

Inaction is fueled by denial, and in this country denial is fueled by the communication disconnect between left and right, groups that tend to perceive themselves as totally separate but of course are not.

Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist and an evangelical Christian. She gets the science and she can relate to the people who tend to be deniers -- and they can relate to her.

[Johnny Rash]

2. Strange how the DENIAL always seems to slow down the ACTIONS needed to resolved this issue.

[swilton]

3. If you can pitch climate science in Texas

you can pitch it anyplace - well almost anyplace. I still have my doubts about Oklahoma.

[LongTomH]

4. This will work with those people who will actually LISTEN!!!!!

My personal experience is, that a significant percentage of climate change denialists are beyond hope.

These are the people who start a 'Gish Gallop' whenever the subject comes up.

The idea of a Gish Gallop consists of the tactic of throwing out one bullshit talking point after another, without allowing their victim time to make a response. After all, most of these talking points require some time to make an intelligent response, and an intelligent response is not what these people are interested in!

The Gish Gallop supposedly is intended to convince the debate opponent; actually, the intent is to prevent the 'Galloper' from thinking. The person making this kind of argument isn't really listening; they're just preparing their next argument (Which denialist talking point to throw out next!).

[greenman3610]

5. you'll never reach the 20 percent

just concentrate on the malleable middle, who are more and more getting the message.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/31/us/politics/most-americans-support-government-action-on-climate-change-poll-finds.html?_r=0

In a finding that could have implications for the 2016 presidential campaign, the poll also found that two-thirds of Americans said they were more likely to vote for political candidates who campaign on fighting climate change. They were less likely to vote for candidates who questioned or denied the science that determined that humans caused global warming.

Among Republicans, 48 percent say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports fighting climate change, a result that Jon A. Krosnick, a professor of political science at Stanford University and an author of the survey, called “the most powerful finding” in the poll. Many Republican candidates question the science of climate change or do not publicly address the issue.