A straw man argument is the distortion of an opponent's position in discussions or debates through the use of oversimplification, exaggeration or fabrication into a weaker position in order to make it easier to attack or refute. This technique is often used by those who are opposed to taking action with regard to the environmental crisis.
A common straw man argument that uses oversimplification is: "Climate change is natural and has been occurring for millions of years, so the current changes are not a concern." The statement that climate change occurs naturally is correct. However, it ignores the facts that the current rate of change is dramatically greater than the natural rate of change and that it is primarily the result of human activity.
An example of an exaggeration straw man argument is: "Those who support climate change policies want to impose severe restrictions on individual freedoms and destroy the economy." In reality, supporters of climate change mitigation policies generally support balanced approaches that include incentives for sustainable practices and for green technologies that are intended to protect both the environment and the economy. Moreover, this argument is also a great oversimplification because it overlooks the facts that climate change will increasingly damage the economy and that developing green technologies can create new jobs and stimulate the economy.
An example of a fabrication straw man argument is: "No consensus exists among scientists about climate change." The reality is that there is a strong consensus among climate scientists that climate change is both real and that it is being caused mainly by human activity.
Another common example is the often-made claim, particularly in the highly car-dependent United States, that building light rail systems has never done much, if anything, to reduce traffic congestion. However, light rail by itself usually can do little to reduce traffic congestion because of induced demand for road use. Rather, its primary purpose is to improve urban mobility and protect the environment by providing a safe and environmentally-friendly alternative to constructing ever more and wider roads and more parking lots. However, light rail can, in fact, help reduce traffic congestion and pollution from road traffic if it is used in conjunction with other measures such as congestion pricing and pedestrianization.
Red herring arguments differ from straw man arguments in that they do not necessarily misrepresent the opponent's argument but rather introduce a distraction or an irrelevant topic in order to divert attention away from the original issue.