(edit: this was written in the late 00s, and saved in this file to this date for unknown reasons. 27/08/2019)
i've spent a lot of time online arguing about climate change over the years and i'm convinced that what we need is somebody to write a platonic dialogue on the topic, something that's easy to understand. something like this...
grasshopper: climate change is just natural variation. did you know it was warmer on the earth millions of years ago?
socrates: yes, i'm aware that the global mean temperature of the earth has been much higher in the distant past. so, yes the earth was warmer in the past. do you know *why*?
grasshopper: no.
socrates: it was because the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide was higher back then.
grasshopper: oh. well, what happened to all of that carbon?
socrates: over time, it became trapped within the earth due to various processes. one of the larger was the means of it being trapped by organisms, who slowly turn into oil over millions of years when they die. when the carbon became trapped in the earth, the climate got cooler.
grasshopper: so, when we burn the oil, we're releasing the carbon back into the atmosphere and recreating the conditions from millions of years ago.
socrates: i think that is correct.
grasshopper: you are wise.
socrates: if i actually thought i was wise, i'd be a fucking idiot you bloody noob.