David McElroy

Do you want to save the planet?

Uh, sure, I guess so.

Do you want a clean environment for everyone in the future?

Of course. Doesn’t everyone?

Or are you a “science denier” who’s out of touch with realty and is in bed with Big Oil?

Of course not. I’m a smart person and I love science. So tell me what I’m supposed to believe!

That’s roughly how the debate on climate change plays out today from those who argue what has become the orthodox position — that human activity is causing the planet to get a warmer and that the increased warmth will cause catastrophic effects.

If you look at the evidence and come to any other conclusion — or if you’re even skeptical about the political solutions presented — you are labeled a “denier,” in a very dishonest attempt to link climate skepticism with Holocaust denial.

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I am terrified of not being perfect — mortally afraid of being judged as unworthy.

For many years, I’ve mostly stuck to doing things I already knew how to do. That was safer. I had been writing for the public since I was in high school. I had taken photos and done graphic design — for newspapers, magazines and advertising — since I was a teen.

My work wasn’t perfect, but I was competent enough to feel like an expert. I could put my work in front of the public — expose myself in a very real way — without fear of looking too foolish.

Lately, I’ve been trying something at which I’m a beginner. I’m a rank amateur. And I am terrified.

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