Dr. Bob Landolt says the evidence is clear: Climate change is going to happen no matter what people think.

Landolt, an emeritus professor of chemistry at Texas Wesleyan, said Tuesday that 97 percent of climate change scientists believe that climate change is real.

Speaking at a Climate Change presentation at the Eunice and James L. West Library, Landolt said that consequences of climate change are worldwide.

“There’s risk and hazard,” Landolt said to about 20 attendees at the library orientation room. “Hazards are real and risk is essentially the matter of chance that you’re going to encounter and it is possible to eliminate the risk. Climate change is a fact. There are risks associated with it but there are ethical consequences that make it a hazard. ”

The presentation was sponsored by the Mitchell Reed Presentation and focused on credible sources of information about climate issues through humor and storytelling.

Using several analogies and cartoons to convey the importance of climate change, Landolt’s presentation included tools to better understand and communicate climate science as well as graphs to show audience members the impact of climate over periods of time.

Landolt also discussed factors that have contributed to the increase of climate change and the hazard it is on the rest of the world. He currently directs a Climate Science Project for the DFW Local Section of the American Chemical Society, which won an ACS “ChemLuminary Award” in 2015, according to txwes.edu.

“The atmosphere is like a blanket,” Landolt said. “Add another blanket and it gets warmer. It’s as simple as that.”

Landolt concluded his presentation by revealing results that came from his survey on Wesleyan’s environmental perspective. Most people at Wesleyan, he said, believe that climate change is real and is already taking effect.

“It’s (climate change) going to happen no matter what.” Landolt said.

Daniella Padilla, a freshman education major at Wesleyan, said she definitely believes in climate change.

“Although Ice Ages are a constant part of evolution, humans have had such a great impact on the world’s climate due to new technology, farming and transportation,” Padilla said. “Which is making the earth’s temperature rise every day due to greenhouse gases.”

Isabel Guereca, a freshman English major, said she does not understand why people do not classify climate change as a serious problem.

“I just don’t get why people don’t believe it.” Guereca said. “There is so much research and evidence. Just look at people in China that wear masks just to get through the city because of the high levels of smog.”

Joel Cueto, an attendee at the presentation and an environmental science major at Tarrant County College, agreed with Guereca in not understanding why people do not believe in climate change.

“The evidence is right in the graphs and in the world,” Cueto said. “We’re given all this information and people still don’t know whether to regard it as real or fake. I say it’s real and if people don’t want to believe that resources are limited and should find alternative sources then they’re the ones that carry the fault in not helping our planet.

“I do the most I can to help the Earth and if people don’t want to help, then that’s their problem. All I know is that I do my part and the rest of the world should do the same.”

For more information, visit acs.org/climatescience or email [email protected] for additional resources on climate science.