Counterpoint: maybe he needs to learn that he'd be nothing without the backs of the workers for him to stand on.
Steve is the only character in this story who is not the asshole. "dude" used to be (for a short time, and in certain groups) a unisex term. Its meaning has changed quite a bit over time. You're not the asshole for using the term "dude". Dude's reaction to bring called dude is off the mark, and your reply is at least as far off the mark.
Thank our stars that we have Steve to keep everyone in check.
Rather than "reduction of ship tracks has caused the planet to warm faster" I think it's more accurate to say that the planet was warming faster than we thought, but the ship tracks were masking the problem.
Since the tracks are caused by the high sulphur content in the bunker fuel, it would not be a good idea to suggest that they are beneficial.