Abstract

For decades, climate change discourse has increasingly polarized scientists, bureaucrats and different interest groups. While scientists assert that climate change is anthropogenic, some stakeholders express skepticism on both the nature and the extent of climate change. Albeit, the politicization and undue monetization of recent science, with data falsification and manipulation incidents by unscrupulous researchers in some top universities across the world, not only worsen public incredulity, but make it evident that climate change skepticism cannot be lightly dismissed. Using the critical analytic method, this paper examined the scientific, political, and ethical dimensions of climate discourse. It also reviewed the bureaucratic origins of climate change skepticism, including the role of interest groups and the resultant spread of misleading information. The human angle and ethical implications of climate change fanaticism, including the potential consequences for vulnerable populations across Africa were highlighted. Data for this research were acquired from library and archival materials, and subjected to philosophical analysis. Given that climate mitigation would never be attained by the sole effort of climate scientists and activists, the paper argues for a nuanced and inclusive public enlightenment on climate change that acknowledges both the scientific consensus and the human angle of this debate, as any call for action that treats the human organism like an accident of nature would only further heighten the tension and fan the embers of skepticism.

Keywords: Climate change, Climate fanaticism, Science, Skepticism, Politics