Think Progress

The four stages of global warming denial

courtesy of Tree Hugger.



62 Responses to “The four stages of global warming denial”

  1. forgive says:

    Most of the wingnuts are in all four stages at once, just to be safe.


  2. Tobey Tall says:

    some facts methane is a bigger cause to global warming than CO2, we need to stop cows farting 5 kilos methane a day

    now the biggest problem is as the days get hotter the sea will release mountains of methane trapped below the sea surface


  3. troll says:

    Why wait for government to force change on everyone change your life now. Algore your guru of climate change said the auto is the greatest threat to humanity why are you still driving? Are you heating your homes with fossil fuels? By Solar panels today. Shut off your a/c. Take personnel responsibility libs are 50% of the population if you stopped playing politics and started doing somthing mabe it would change.


  4. Randy says:

    Good luck in trying to convince the world to all become vegans.


  5. Randy says:

    Now Troll, you ought to know better than use reason with these hypocrites. The liberal motto is “do as I say, not as I do”


  6. JJ says:

    Not vegans, Randy. Responsible people.


  7. krazny says:

    when I buy a house, I will switch to wind and solar power. Anything I can do to reduce the amount of money to the power company the better.


  8. troll says:

    Randy
    I keep hoping that one day they will get it. I wish like hell they would move to the inner city live in some 500 sq ft flat, shut off their energy consuming computers and use plan B alot.


  9. Randy says:

    The more I read the posts on this site, the more I wonder how liberals carry on each day. You all sound so depressed. You either need to take more medication or get outside more. It must really suck to think the world is going to hell in a handbasket every single day. I, on the other hand, am eternally optimistic and think that our future is bright, brighter than it ever has been. Just think about how much brighter your lives might be if you stopped listening to and reading the MSM and just enjoyed the sunshine once in a while.


  10. bobcat_grad says:

    Why wait for government to force change on everyone change your life now.

    I’m not.

    Algore your guru of climate change said the auto is the greatest threat to humanity why are you still driving?

    Because I kinda need to go to work.

    Are you heating your homes with fossil fuels?

    Yup, but I bought a programmable thermostat that reduces energy consumption when I’m not home.

    By Solar panels today.

    I’m guessing you meant ‘buy.’ You know what, I would have loved to had them installed when my house was built. I looked into having them installed now at a cost of around $20,000. Too big of an investment now, perhaps later.

    Shut off your a/c.

    I resist using the AC in my house until I’m dripping in sweat.

    Take personnel responsibility

    I am. What are you doing?

    libs are 50% of the population if you stopped playing politics and started doing somthing mabe it would change.

    Liberals are playing politics? HA! How about the fact that 99.9% of the scientific community concurs that global warming is going on, and the one guy who says it’s not is on the payroll of Big Oil? Who’s playing politics?

    Why can’t you admit that your precious leadership is wrong on this issue and that some type of national policy must be implemented. In today’s corporate run society where the dollar rules, companies are not going to invest in cleaner energy if it is going to cost more. That’s where government regulation needs to step in. But no… that would hurt Big Oil. You know them, the guys with $9 billion in quarterly profits and $400 million retirement packages. Sure is nice of you to look out for them, I’m sure they’re looking out for you.

    Man, you’ve been hoodwinked hard.


  11. JJ says:

    You know, Randy, values?

    Anything I can do to reduce the amount of money to the power company the better.

    Yeah, they would like to avoid you doing that, if they can.


  12. Parrotlover77 says:

    #3, 5 – I like how you assume none of us are doing anything. What are YOU doing? I donate back to “green” power the equivelent KWh that I use each month (my power company has cool easy ways to “offset your carbon footprint” on the bill). I only drive when necessary (which, unfortunately, does include commuting to work since my employer is in a metro area very far from residential and decent public transit). Speaking of driving, I don’t drive a gas guzzler and am saving up for a Hyrbid, even if it doesn’t offset gas costs (more interested in offsetting my carbon footprint). I could go on and on and on about all the little things I do. Could I do more? I sure as hell could, but also need to pay off my student loans and such.. Am I planning on doing more? Yes. Could “dirty” corporations do more? OH HELL YES. Can legislation make it easier for the public to do more and FORCE corporations to do more? Yes.

    SO WHAT DO YOU DO?

    Love,
    Your Friendly Neighborhood Socialist


  13. Evil Spaniard says:

    #8 Let’s see, what involves more pollution, run my already energy saving portable computer for 8 hours/day or drive around a 2-tons vehicle for 4 hours/day commutes… btw, before say that liberals drive too, I use public transportation systems everyday, 4 trips. So, please, don’t compare my total energy consumption with yours, trollies.


  14. JJ says:

    Yeah, they would like to avoid you doing that, if they can.

    Check it out:

    http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserver/objecthandlers/index.cfm?id=4380&method=full


  15. Zookeeper says:

    My favorite one:

    3. Okay, humans are causing it, but there’s nothing we can do about it, we can’t go back to the stone age, it would ruin our economy, it’s worse to act than not to act, etc.

    It’s all or nothing with the wingers, isn’t it? Waaaaaah, the problems is too big, so we can’t bother fixing it, waaaaah. Clinton!


  16. bobcat_grad says:

    Now Troll, you ought to know better than use reason with these hypocrites. The liberal motto is “do as I say, not as I do”

    Comment by Randy — June 6, 2006 @ 2:21 pm

    Kinda like Republicans and lobbying reform, right?

    Kinda like Rush and applying senctences to drug offenders?

    Kinda like Republicans being a states’ rights party but trying to institute a federal ammendment to the constitution on a right clearly reserved for the states?

    Kinda like Bush’s stance on getting warrents for wiretaps and then not doing it?

    Kinda like Republicans using cheap immigrant labor but wanting to ship all illgeal immigrants out of the country?

    Kinda like morally superior Rebpublicans and their infidelity?

    Kinda like that, huh?


  17. Evil Spaniard says:

    #15 Very curious coming from people who loves so much “personal responsability”. For liberals, not republicans, you know?


  18. Tobey Tall says:

    I have changed my electricity supplier a couple of years ago to http://www.good-energy.co.uk

    the thing that is annoying me prices have gone up 25% since i joined ,,,,,,,,,,But the windmills have not been replaced or cost any extra so why should i have an increase in enegy bills

    ????????????????????????????????????????????


  19. Tobey Tall says:

    I have changed my electricity supplier a couple of years ago to http://www.good-energy.co.uk

    the thing that is annoying me prices have gone up 25% since i joined ,,,,,,,,,,But the windmills have not been replaced or cost any extra so why should i have an increase in enegy bills

    Its a great feeling knowing that the electrcity supply in my house produces absolutely NO co2


  20. bobcat_grad says:

    Zoo –

    I don’t get the whole ‘It would ruin the economy’ thing used by conservatives. What a stupid thing to say.

    We’re not asking that the oil tap be turned off tomorrow and everything comes to a grinding hault. We’re asking that new initiatives involve the consumption of clean energy. Wind turbines, hydro turbines, new and improved solar energy storage, etc. are all viable alternatives to depending on oil. And think of the jobs that will be CREATED by investing in building up the infrastucture to support and build all of these new, clean energy sources.

    We could use their logic on them and say:

    1. Switching to clean sources of fuel would lead to high paying jobs for Americans to research, develop, and build this technology.
    2. The GOP doesn’t want clean sources of energy.
    3. Therefore, the GOP doesn’t want to create new, high paying jobs for Americans.


  21. Tobey Tall says:

    what i need now is a cow fitted to my gas fire


  22. troll says:

    Obviously not all you libs are doing enough. I am not the chicken little screaming the sky is falling. You guys are. Put your money where your mouth is since you want everyone else to.

    Bobcat you admit you dont make certain changes because it will cost you, but you think everyone else should make those sacriifices. That is precisely the hypocisy which is being referred to.


  23. JJ says:

    #22. What are your suggestions for dealing with the problem? Nothing, right?

    http://web.mit.edu/globalchange/www/wheel.degC.html

    This wheel is based on the science in the IPCC. If you dispute it, tell us the nature of what you dispute.


  24. troll says:

    I might think something should be done. But I dont think the solution to every problem is to pass a law forcibly evocing change. I think change has to be grass roots it has to be societal.


  25. JJ says:

    In short, what part of the science do you disagree with, and on what basis?

    Then when we get that out of the way, we can discuss why you want to do nothing.


  26. Evil Spaniard says:

    #22 No. Bobcat says that everyone can do sacrifices, and says that he has begun already. Bobcat has said that he will do another GREAT sacrifice as soon as he can. But you say that you don’t want to do any sacrifice. Your side is simply defending criminal selfishness, playing dumb about Global Warming, to not help fellow americans, because you’re too greedy and ignorant.


  27. JJ says:

    I think change has to be grass roots it has to be societal.

    OK, then. Tell me how this is going to come about.


  28. Evil Spaniard says:

    #27 When every redneck realizes that his private plantation of tobacco has been destroyed by furnace-like temperatures and giant insects and when anyone can cross the Mississippi simply jumping to the other side.


  29. Tobey Tall says:

    to the liberals out there – change your electric supplier to a green supplier as i did over two years ago

    look at the difference in figures here

    I love to tell people my electric produces 0 co2 emitions
    find a supplier in the US start now its easy and is actually cheaper for me


  30. Tobey Tall says:

    Electricity generated from coal fired power stations will have generated 910 grammes of CO2 to produce 1kWh of electricity and natural gas will have produced 360 grammes of CO2 for each kWh.

    do you know an economical car , every 6 miles produces 0.4 Kilgrammes every 6 miles

    reality nearly every part of a litre of petrol turns eventually into alomost its weight in CO2


  31. JJ says:

    About rules and laws, etc.: Umpires and referees are essential players at a good sporting event. They ensure that everyone is competing in a sportsmanlike play and that a “race to the bottom” isn’t rewarded, that there is a “level playing field.” We need rules for competition to be in everyone’s best interest.

    But putting that aside for a second–how can the “grass roots” make good decisions when they are inundated with misinformation produced by the vested interests? :

    http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserver/objecthandlers/index.cfm?id=4380&method=full


  32. JJ says:

    I might think something should be done. But I dont think the solution to every problem is to pass a law forcibly evocing change. I think change has to be grass roots it has to be societal. –Comment by troll

    Mr. Troll, I’m waiting for your comment. Tell me more about you would help this come about…


  33. Wayne says:

    16
    Kinda like that, huh?

    Comment by bobcat_grad

    yeah kinda like that
    excellent post bobcat,as always=)


  34. redneck hick says:

    An evolving set of universal pollution rules would help and keep a level playing field, but Republicans don’t like rules.


  35. redneck hick says:

    CEI says CO2 is life, so in the interest of the environment I will take it upon myself to produce as much CO2 as possible, an altruistic voluntary measure. Hopefully we can invent new technology to accelerate the production of CO2… sorry I mean life. Then the world will be all green fields with little girls and flowers.


  36. tommy says:

    it’s funny how certain conservatives subject themselves to liberal blogs. you’d never see me kneedeep in the shit at any of those conservative blogs, like malkin, coulter, or powerline. i suppose they may feel that are fighting the good fight, but to me it seems like their latent sense of morailty and fellowhip with humanity makes them left-curious. fell free to hang out, we accept everyone on this side.


  37. Zookeeper says:

    #20 – Therefore, the GOP doesn’t want to create new, high paying jobs for Americans.
    Comment by bobcat_grad

    We have a winner!!


  38. Randy says:

    #20

    Boy, that sure sounds great! Tell me o’ wise one, why wouldn’t Ted Kennedy let a developer build a wind farm off the coast in Mass. then. It would seem fine that liberals are all for alternative energy, just not in my backyard. See, you guys just can’t admit to being hypocritical. Michael Moore rags continuously about Halliburton while owning the stock and I could go on. This is why no one in the mainstream and when I say mainstream, I’m really talking about red state America, will take your kind seriously.


  39. Anticonservafascist says:

    #22: Obviously not all you libs are doing enough. I am not the chicken little screaming the sky is falling. You guys are. Put your money where your mouth is since you want everyone else to.

    I’d say the same thing about you conservafascists. You kept thumping on your hollowed chest about war yet you guys didn’t enroll and leave America for the war in Iraq.

    What are you doing here, chickenshit? Go enroll and fight, you chickenshit coward.

    like redneck hick said, your best friends, pro-CO2 CEO claimed that CO2 is life. So why not you chickenshits and CEOs just put that plastic bag over your heads? Do it or be a chickenshit hypocrite. You pick.


  40. matthew says:

    #38

    You mean Robert F. Kennedy Jr.


  41. JJ says:

    Tell me why wouldn’t Ted Kennedy let a developer build a wind farm off the coast in Mass.

    He should have. We don’t blindly follow our leaders here, unlike some people we can think of.

    These nits that you’re looking at, some of them may be legit, and many of them urban myths dreamed up at hack factories. I’m sure you can find many things to “Plenty Plaint” about.

    But tell me, member of the party of “values”, about Delay’s moral values, Abramoff’s moral values, Duke Cunningham’s moral values. And then tell me about hypocracy.

    And you keep changing the subject. What is your solution to climate change?


  42. JJ says:

    It seems to me, your ilk really have nothing to add to the discussion but clumsy personal attacks, which is why you’ve been having so much trouble lately:

    http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/6/5/11544/69161


  43. troll says:

    “I’d say the same thing about you conservafascists. You kept thumping on your hollowed chest about war yet you guys didn’t enroll and leave America for the war in Iraq.”

    Comment by Anticonservafascist — June 6, 2006 @ 4:51 pm

    Fascist
    Im not forcing you to go either.
    FYI most of those brave men and women are conservatives.

    JJ
    Why should I come up with the grassroots solution you’re the ones with the alleged problems? But for all liberals to give up their cars and large homes and stop reproducing would be a great start. Secondly since they all believe
    higher taxes and regulations are the solution for every problem they should pay an additional “liberal tax” of at least 10% to a renewable energy fund and take a pay cut so their business could afford to employ alternatives.


  44. JJ says:

    You’re the ones with the alleged problems

    Ok, then. As I was saying before, tell me how your opinions differ from those of the scientists that published the 928 peer-reviewed scientific papers on global warming published over the last decade, affirming the scientific consensus that human-caused warming is happening?:

    http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686

    I suppose you’re content with just taking the risk, or maybe with your children or grandchildren taking the risk.

    And heck, I’m up for any solution that will work. But you guys have NONE. Your solution is distorting the science and driving in your heels for the past dozen years.

    Yawn. This is like shooting fish in a barrel. I’m signing off this thread…


  45. krazny says:

    pay an additional “liberal tax” of at least 10% to a renewable energy fund

    Comment by troll — June 6, 2006 @ 6:34 pm

    Sure as soon as you pay a “conservative” tax to cover the Iraq war, and the deficit that has piled up since Bush came into office. I wonder which tax would be dropped first?


  46. freeme says:

    but you see, #43, the problem with global warming is that it does not only effect liberals. it effects everyone; that is the issue, you said libeals make up 50% of the population…well, what about the other 50%? What are you people doing to help the problem? Obviously you admit that global warming exists, otherwise you wouldn’t be telling all the liberals to go do something about a non-exiostant thing. So what are you doing? This mentality of yours that only liberals should be helping save planet earth is not only ridiculous but short-sighted as well.

    Also, you say impose a liberal tax, how about instead of reinstating a discriminatory tax like ones that existed for african americans to vote, how about we stop spending billions of dollars in Iraq, since there is no reason for us to be there anwyays, and stop giving 80,000 dollar tax cuts to the richest of the rich and then reinvest THAT money into renewable energy?

    Lastly, you should come up with a grassroots solution just as much as I should. We’re all in this together buddy, whether you like it or not. Red state America is not an island and neither is California or New York State. All the problems that the liberals face are the same problems you face, its just that you have yet to acknowledge the problems with your “don’t fix it till it’s broke” mentality and that is anti-progress and therefore, by being anti-progress you are, by the regular conservative talking poiint, anti-american. Remember, those are Limbaughs and Coulters words, not mine.


  47. redneck hick says:

    #45 If the federal debt incrased $2 trillion since Republicans took control, and 60 million voted for Bush in 2004, that comes out to $33,000 each.

    What, don’t conservatives think they ought to pay for the policies they voted for?


  48. troll says:

    My issue fifi is that liberals continually insist that big business and republicans are the problem and that big government is the answer. Then they empower gov which will inevitably step on civil rights then they bitch but take no responsibility for having given the power to gov in the first place. If indeed the climate “crisis” is as big as the alarmest would have us believe then it will not be enough to simply beat up on big business, immeadiate and extreme personal action is called for because it will take a massive change of lifestyle on the part of just about every human on the face the earth to reverse it. I do not see the kind of response from the left which would be appropriate if they themselves believed their rhetoric. I am left to conclude therefore that they are not seriously alarmed but are merely using the allged crisis to further their socialist anti corporate and big government agenda. When I hear calls and see actions of true personal sacrifice from the left on a massive scale reflecting real leadership I, and I am sure many conservatives, will join the movement and I may even be convinced and then inclined to insist leaders within industry make some effort. However I do not believe legislation and litigation are most effective solution to the problem of industrial pollution but think rather that education and solidarity are the solution. Right now American view the left as extremest crying wolf once again. That wont change until you provide leadership not just rhetoric.


  49. freeme says:

    but you see #48, while you say that the left is alarmist, you are comparing this to the right who are not only exacberating the problem, but simply trying to refute it. There is a middle ground here, and I think that both you and I are on it. The left will need to make massive changes to completely reverse the effects of years of neglect which every American has contributed to, but so will the right. The view which you project from the right is akin to the voting doesn’t matter because my vote won’t change the outcome anyways. Just as the saying goes “every little bit counts”.

    And on your point about providing leadership not just rhetoric. It is difficult to provide adequate leadership when the person who the majority voted for in 2000 was ousted out of office by voter fraud, when that person (Gore) is coincidentally the same person who is now the leader of the push for more environmental conciousness. The fact is that there is adequate leadership on the environmental reform issue, and there is media coverage on global warming in the MSM, but the right just continues to ignore and say that it is just rhetoric.

    Also, it seems to me that the “average American” doesn’t view the left as extremist crying wolves since “An Inconvienent Truth” was ranked at #9 iin box office sales this past weekend, despite being shown on limited screens.


  50. troll says:

    A movie. mdia coverage and legislation to make the other guy change is hardly leadership. Crying about Algores loss in 2000 wont change anything either. One person can make a difference. When Algore stops flying around the world with his entourage I’ll take him seriously.


  51. freeme says:

    I’m not saying that a movie, media coverage and legislation is going to make people change their mind but revolution has to start somewhere. Atleast this movie is putting the idea in people’s heads, atelast the media is not sitting idly by while the earth is on the course of being able to bake cookies off your front porch, and atleast legislation is, well, to be quite honest, I don’t really see legislation of doing much since legislation concerning global warming is being implemented by a congress who doesn’t believe in it. And about Gore, there was no crying, just pointing out that if he was the President, there would be more environmental concern, seeing as how the enviroment is his forte. Also, you say you will take him seriously when he stops flying around the world:I can understand that and I can understand where you say the left should change it’s habits but again, what are you doing to help? It should not take a leader to help you realize that there is a problem. thnk for yourself!

    But the question still remains, why do you need leadership to convince right to change their ways? Isn’t knowing through straight up data and statistics that the earth may well be thrown into huge natural disasters in coming years enough to convince the right to not drive that SUV or continue to kill off anything that gets in it’s way to make room for that new strip mall? At this point, it seems that the only thing will convince the right that global warming is worth the effort is when one of our major cities floods due to rising sea levels. Oh wait, that did happen? And the government still hasn’t built new levees? oh…


  52. jb says:

    It seems that “global warming”, SUV, power consumption and clear cutting are all used interchangably. The earth is warming, I’m quite sure. There isn’t a damn thing we can do about it. Go for a drive, run your electric bill up and burn your wood stove. These activities don’t have a damn thing to do with Global Warming. Have a nice hot day. Oh and Al Gore is an idiot.


  53. troll says:

    Free
    I do think for my self that is why I am a skeptic on this issue. The research shows a 1 degree rise over a span of 100 years and that this trend most likely will continue and that it may in part be a result of human activity. Too many “ifs” at this point to get excited about, particularly when other evidence exists that the alarmist are motivated not by true concrn for the problem as is evidenced by their response but by partisan politics. This hype is more about “W” than it is about climate change.


  54. Evil Spaniard says:

    #53 There is far more evidences, data and wise men (many Nobel Prizes) demonstrating Global Warming that of the existence of WMD on Iraq in 2003. If the evidence on Iraq overruled the “ifs”, why are you so remise to take action against Global Warming?


  55. troll says:

    What have you done besides bitch and whine about everyone else?


  56. troll says:

    WMD are a more immeadiate threat and saddam was a definite threat to innocent civilians. That was a fact that everyone agreed on. The fact that we have not found what we thought we would does not mean they never existed. And the fact that someone wins a Nobel means nothing anymore. Arafat got one for peace. cientist can still be partisan.

    Let see some real response from libs as I have stated repeatedly.


  57. JJ says:

    No need to hear it from “libs”, you can hear it from the National Review:

    “Global average temperature has risen by about 1 degree Celsius or less since the late 1800s.” No serious person on either side of the global-warming debate questions this. Nor do serious commentators doubt that human activity, by increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, contributes to global warming.

    You can hear it from the report from the NAS panel that Bush commissioned to study the problem:

    Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise. Temperatures are, in fact, rising.

    And there are plenty of sites that will satisfy your “curiousity” in case you have questions, like this one:

    http://illconsidered.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-to-talk-to-global-warming-sceptic.html

    But if you haven’t done any of this basic research yourself, it’s unlikely that we’re going to be able to help you much here. I would come back when you’ve done some reading on the subject.


  58. redneck hick says:

    When Algore stops flying around the world with his entourage I’ll take him seriously.

    No you won’t.


  59. JJ says:

    Heads of some of Britain’s biggest companies are meeting Tony Blair today to demand tougher targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1791534,00.html


  60. JJ says:

    And as far as the “ifs” go, why doesn’t uncertainty ever cut in the direction of dealing with risk? That would seem to be the common sense approach. But you don’t have common sense, you have ideology. Check it out from science writer Chris Mooney:

    Most of all, global-warming sceptics delight in highlighting scientific uncertainty. Climate models, they say, are oversimplifications of physical processes, meaning that we can’t know how accurate their projections may be. Similarly, note the sceptics, scientists can’t say precisely what percentage of the current warming trend is attributable to human greenhouse gas emissions, as opposed to natural variability.

    For these and other reasons, the sceptics conclude, the alleged scientific consensus on human-caused global warming is shaky at best. Further, they argue – and this is crucial – the case for political action to reduce emissions is weak.

    … But there is an inconsistency here that’s seldom remarked upon. Where are the global-warming sceptics who, despite their qualms about the science, support taking action now to curb the threat of global warming just in case it does turn out to be a major danger? Where are the sceptics who, despite their personal dissenting opinions, nevertheless acknowledge that as a general rule, politicians faced with tough decisions should rely on mainstream scientific opinion rather than far-out perspectives?

    That such individuals are rare or non-existent tells us something. Not only do those in the global-warming sceptic camp have political commitments that overlay their scientific ones; they also have a muddled view of how science-based decisions should be made.

    http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-climate_change_debate/2579.jsp


  61. JJ says:

  62. Storage Retirement Community says:

    Storage Retirement Community

    Found your blog on yahoo – thanks for the article but i still don’t get it.



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