Global warming being a byproduct of pollution is the debate that just will not go away. It is a debate that has even made its way into comedic monologues from Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and “Last Week Tonight.” But unlike most debates, where you hear out both sides, one side claims that their position is a fact and that even debating it is ludicrous. Except global warming is not fact; it is a theory. Global warming cannot be considered a “fact,” due to it not meeting the criteria, and there being strong compelling evidence against it.
In order for something to be considered a “fact,” it must be indisputably true and observable. For example, the sky being blue is a fact because it is something that can be observed and there is no possible way of denying it. However, if one said that the sky is blue because of the scattering of blue light via molecules, this would no longer be considered factual and instead is a theory. Similarly, it is a fact that temperatures are rising, but it is just a theory that humans are the cause of this. The difference between fact and theory, is that fact is something observable while as a theory is often an explanation for said observable fact.
Despite this, many argue that global warming qualifies as fact due to there being a widespread consensus on it and often cite the statistic that “97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and that human activity is responsible.” However, this line of thinking is flawed for two reasons. First, many scientists included in this “97% consensus” statistic do not agree on the severity of climate change nor the impact that humans have had on it. Additionally, some included do not ever even cite human activity as being a cause, meaning the statistic is untruthful and practically a myth. Secondly, even if there was a vast amount of consensus, consensus does not equate into fact. At one point, there was a large consensus on the earth being flat and spontaneous generation, both of which have been disproven.
On top of the 97% consensus being a myth and a poor argument, there’s plenty of well-researched skepticism on the theory of global warming. There have been many times in the history of our planet where global warming has occurred without high carbon emissions. Adversely, there have also been times where there were high carbon emissions but no warming occurred. All theories are allowed to be questioned and should be questioned, global warming is no exception.
Now, of course, I am not here to say whether or not climate change is a result of pollution; that is not for me to decide. Instead, I encourage people to delve beyond just the surface level of either believing that, climate change is just a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, or that it must be a fact purely based off of the 97% statistic. Global warming is too important of an issue to not do research on, and hear out both sides, before determining your opinion. But ultimately, it is still just an opinion, no matter the amount of research, human involvement in global warming will always remain a theory.