Breakfast With Republicans

While grabbing some 100% Kona-coffee this morning at Lava Java, my favorite Big Island coffee shop, I found a line going out the front door. A cruise ship is in port so some of the multitudes spilled into Kailua-Kona for a day of frenzied eating and shopping. After finally securing much needed caffeine, I parked myself at a communal table to nab some free bandwidth and plow through my emails. But instead of reading and writing, I found myself in conversation with a couple sharing the table with me. Mind you, I'm not a chatty type nor do I have that approachable "talk to me" persona, but apparently there's something irresistible about a guy with a laptop in a resort town that inevitably begins the questioning:

"Are you here on vacation?"
"No, I'm here on work."
"Wow, what sort of work sends you to Hawaii?
[Contemplating whether to give the short answer or long answer:] "I work for an environmental nonprofit."
"Ohhh, what sort of work is that?"

You get the idea.

Anyway, maybe I wasn't really keen to deal with emails, maybe they were pleasant folks, or maybe a little of both. But we spent about 30 minutes in conversation. They were from Detroit, Michigan, and were visiting retired parents here on the Big Island. After several polite and earnest questions of why I chose a career in marine biology and what sort of work said marine biologist ends up doing, Barbara (we were on a first name basis at this point) asks me what I think "about the whole global warming thing." She wanted to know what scientists know for sure. It was clear she was sincerely searching for an answer.

I decided to do something I've never done before. I asked Barbara if she wouldn't mind my asking a question first before answering. She agreed. So I asked what political party she would consider herself affiliated with. She paused, smiled, then told me that while local political voting varied, she would call herself a Republican. I explained that the reason I asked is because global warming and climate change have become extremely politicized, and while the scientific community is in consensus that the climate/human connection is real, the issue has become divisive based on political lines and lobbying efforts rather than consideration of empirical data.

Barbara listened and then said that ultimately for her, it boiled down to the fact that she just can't get past Al Gore. She clearly disliked the man, and therefore his message was moot. I explained that she wasn't the first person who has told me that Gore made it difficult to listen to the climate change argument with objective ears. But I tried to offer that the evidence and data shouldn't stand in the shadow of any one personality or speaker. She asked if there were other people who she might look for or read who are conveying warnings about climate change and what can be done. I suggested reading the book Heal the Ocean, by the amazing marine ecologist Rod Fujita. And while I'm not a particularly huge fan of the woman, I also suggested reading some of the popular writings by Sylvia Earle. Barbara wrote the names down as I was talking.

The question came up of whether the ocean is as much at risk from global warming as land. I explained that at least in my work with coral reef conservation, global warming has two significant impacts. One being that increased sea surface temperatures can lead to bleaching events on coral colonies that cannot tolerate even small temperature fluctuation. The other being that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means more carbon dioxide becoming saturated in seawater. The resultant chemistry of CO2 in seawater means slightly more acidic oceans, which is bad news to animals that use calcium carbonate to make shells (mollusks) or build structural support (corals). Over time, acidified oceans will weaken existing calcium carbonate structures and suppress an animal's ability to produce shells or support in the future.

By now, my coffee cup was empty, my bagel was long gone and I hadn't gotten a single email read or written. But I genuinely enjoyed the conversation. I'm not deluding myself into thinking I created new climate change converts. And maybe my suggested reading list will end up in the trash. But I met two travelers who seemed genuine and sincere and who apparently wanted to learn. Really, they're on vacation... why squander it by chatting up a complete stranger with divergent scientific and political positions? But maybe I repositioned the margin of Barbara's "frame" ever so slightly and allowed for the possibility of considering climate change in a different light. At least it's a nice thought and well worth a 30 minute investment of coffee time.