The Dangers of Climate Denialism and Why it Matters to Anglers

Image by J. Carrol Sain

Editor’s Note: After reviewing The American Fly Fishing Trade Association’s Tomorrow’s Fish—a climate change awareness campaign backed by industry heavyweights like Orvis, Far Bank, Bajio, Mayfly, and Patagonia—MidCurrent felt compelled to offer more perspective on how climate change threatens fishing, ecosystems, and human communities. We hope this opinion piece from veteran outdoor writer, trout guide, and president of Conservation Hawks Todd Tanner spurs thoughtful discussion on climate change and its impact on everything anglers cherish.

Let’s start with two basic questions. What is a climate denier? And why is climate denial relevant for those of us who love to fish?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines climate denial as “rejection of the idea that changes in the Earth’s climate or weather patterns are caused by human activity.” The Cambridge dictionary describes it as “the argument or belief that climate change is not happening, or is not caused by human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” Dictionary.com calls climate denial “the refusal to accept the existence or validity of climate change.”

In short, a climate denier is someone who disputes that our planet is warming rapidly, or who denies that humans are responsible—and dismisses the dangers we face—in spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence.

Which brings us to our second question. Why should we care? Why is climate denial relevant to anglers?

From where I sit, it’s not particularly complicated. Climate change is the single largest threat to our fishing, as well as to our economy, our communities, and our kids & grandkids. When millions of Americans dismiss an existential threat to our angling, they make it much, much harder to protect our rivers and streams, as well as our lakes and oceans, for future generations.

“But,” some of you are no doubt saying, “we’ve heard that human-caused climate change is a hoax, and that the climate is always changing, and that the science is far from settled. And since climate is always a partisan political issue, how can we ever trust the people who want to take action?”

It’s true. I’ve heard all those things myself. I’ve even been told that climate change is a conspiracy to redistribute wealth, and to turn Americans into communists. Of course, I’ve also heard that Elvis is alive, and the black helicopters are about to come flying over the hill, and the moon landing was a fake, and our leaders are Reptilians, and the Covid vaccine contains a microscopic tracking chip, and the Earth is flat.

Thankfully, most of us have the ability to discern between reality and unhinged conspiracy theories. And while you should do your own due diligence on Elvis and the Reptilians, I’ll walk you through exactly how we know that human-caused climate change is a huge threat to our fishing and our kids.

1) We’ve all seen the empirical evidence. Our summers are hotter. Winters are warmer. Storms are stronger. Wildfires smoke is becoming an enormous problem. If you’re a fly fisher and you haven’t noticed that our world is growing hotter, and our weather crazier, then your awareness skills need serious work.

2) The science is settled. Literally. You can’t find a major scientific organization, or professional society, that disputes the basic physics of climate change. Hell, you can’t even find a respected climate scientist who denies what’s happening. And if you think I’m mistaken, try to find a recent, peer-reviewed scientific paper that challenges the overwhelming scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

3) The people who are selling climate denial have a massive financial incentive for doing so.  The fossil fuel industry is one of the most profitable on the planet. If we stop burning fossil fuels—which we need to do in order to limit climate change — then the companies that sell oil, coal and natural gas will lose huge amounts of money. In fact, a recent MIT-led study valued the fuel that they’d have to leave in the ground at between $21.5 trillion and $30.6 trillion. That’s trillion with a “T.” Think about that for just a second. What would wealthy corporations do to protect trillions of dollars of future earnings? Would they oppose the shift to cheaper, cleaner forms of energy. Would they fund climate denial? Would they buy politicians?

Of course they would.  Sadly, the fossil fuel industry is focused on keeping the gravy train rolling regardless of the damage that they cause. Just follow the money.

So to sum things up, the science is clear, we are personally seeing the impacts of our changing climate, and the corporations that bankrolls climate denial have a huge financial incentive to dispute what’s happening.

Which brings us to “the moral abyss of climate denialism.”   

There is no excuse for climate denial. At this point in time, it’s no different than telling little kids to play on a busy interstate highway or suggesting that pregnant mothers should drink whiskey, shoot heroin, and ingest a daily dose of mercury.

Yet at the same time, it’s understandable. Well-intentioned people have been lied to and misled. They’ve been told time and again that climate change is b.s.. Not only does the fossil fuel industry employ sophisticated marketing professionals and have access to unlimited funding, but it donates generously to politicians who are willing to challenge reality in exchange for cash.

That money makes a difference. Rather than supporting a timely shift to clean energy, the politicians raking in fossil fuel donations have denigrated science and dismissed reality, and they’ve done so while the odds for a livable future have diminished before our eyes.

While climate deniers, along with their kissing-cousins—the climate slow-walkers and “all-of-the-above” energy advocates — have done a huge amount of harm, it’s important to remember that most of the rank & file climate deniers have been duped. They’ve been misled by powerful corporations; corporations willing to sacrifice a livable future in exchange for short-term profits.

Ultimately, the great American climate debate isn’t Red vs. Blue or Left vs. Right. It’s Right vs. Wrong and Good vs. Greed. If we want to save our fishing and pass along healthy landscapes to our kids and grandkids, we need to overcome climate denial, listen to our scientists, and focus on the facts. Human-caused climate change is a huge threat to everything we care about and we’re running out of time to shift to cleaner forms of energy.