Do Americans Care About Climate Change Anymore?

Reader Comments
Back to article

Here's the thing about scientific consensus: It's true whether you believe it or not. The scientific consensus behind global warming is so overwhelming that it's very hard to overstate it. The fact that it's become synonymous with liberalism says more about our susceptibility to charlatans and conspiracy theories than it does about the unalterable physics behind it.
You cannot wish or argue this away. Physics doesn't give a damn about opinion polls. VP Cheney famously said when discussing energy policy that the American way of life was 'non-negotiable.' In one sense, he's right. Eventually, we'll see that negotiation is a fallacy. We're going to realize that there's a new negotiating partner across the table from us: Reality. We won't even need to be in the room. If we're too late to change our ways, our grandchildren will revile the memory of those who listened to the merchants of doubt.

Steve of CA 6:54PM April 27, 2011

Poverty will soon make this a moot point. But perhaps that was the CO2 reduction plan all along? Look around the web and you will find an audio of Rothchild or Rockefeller can't remember which off the top of my head stating that in the name of climate change it would be ones "duty" to topple industrialized nations to end their consumption. (Not a precise quote by me...just a paraphrase. Its out there. LOOK for it).

sj of AL 5:15PM April 27, 2011

In the United States at least, former climate change believers are now demanding that politicians and law makers have the leading scientists and especially the unconscionable leading news editors, subjected to criminal charges for knowingly sustaining the criminal exaggerations of the CO2 mistake for the last 25 years. It is now appearing that issuing CO2 death threats to billions of children unnecessarily has not gone unnoticed and unlike Bush getting away with his false war in Iraq, the false war of climate change will sooner or later be dealt with in the courts. Treason charges for leading a country to a false war is one option now being looked at as politicians always need an enemy to blame.
And keep in mind that it was the scientists themselves that made environmental protection necessary in the first place when they supposedly polluted the planet with their evil chemicals and cancer causing pesticides and so how ironic is it that we bowed like fools to our Gods of science for 25 years of “unstoppable warming”?
Scientists are not gods and don’t forget that scientists also produced cruise missiles, cancer causing chemicals, land mine technology, nuclear weapons, germ warfare, cluster bombs, strip mining technology, Y2K, Y2Kyoto, deep sea drilling technology and now climate control. Proof of consensus not being real is the fact that scientists did not march in the streets when IPCC funding was pulled, the EPA was castrated and Obama’s not even mentioning the “crisis” in his state of the union speech. Consensus was a myth because if it were true, the consensus scientists declaring a climate emergency would act like it was an emergency and demand their CO2 mitigation be taken seriously. We believed a handful of lab coat consultants who said we could CONTROL the planet’s temperature and prevent it from boiling. Pure insanity as history will call this modern day witch burning. The new denier is anyone still believing voters will vote YES to taxing the air to make the weather colder. Not going to happen.
REAL planet lovers are happy and relieved a crisis was averted and real planet lovers don't hold scientists as Gods and bow to politicians promising to make colder and lower the seas and scare kids with such doomsday glee.
Stay tuned. Call the courthouse.

Meme Mine of ME 3:34PM April 27, 2011

People are getting tired of all the chicken littles claiming to know the future and demanding we change our lives and our standard of living becasue of what they believe.
Yes, we should respect Mother Nature and yes we should use the resources that God has given us to better our lives. However, we cannot change the things that are out of our control, and history has shown us over and over that we cannot control the path that Mother Nature takes, all we can to is respond and adapt.

Larry of CA 2:40PM April 27, 2011

Looks like Europeans and maybe Canada and Australia are the only ones capable of a horizon longer than 6 months. Lots of irrational people chasing a piece of meat on a string being dragged through the streets.
Forget science, forget education, forget planning, forget diplomacy, forget civility, forget moderation and good sense....Instability and uncontrolled partisan animosity seem to have the attention of too many in the USA right now.
On this conversation too - "Run Forrest Run!!!!"

DeeToo of SC 2:38PM April 27, 2011