The real drivers of popular opinion on climate change

If only people could actually realize it’s OK to admit when they’re wrong and do that... being hard-headed sure isn’t going to get it done.

 

On a semi-related note... I bet more marriages/relationships/etc. fail because folks would rather assign blame than work towards an actual solution to a glaring problem...

 

I know you don't hate me because of the debate we have here, and I hope I don't come across as not liking you. It's the complete opposite for me. I think the opposing ways to look at things are important .

But I'll ask you this one last thing, do I, or any other average American have more access to what we see on TV, by journalists and politicians, or do we have more access to a scientist that has studied the climate for 20+ years?

 

It kills me that on important issues there are people that would rather berate and be condescending to the people they desperately need to get on board to solve a problem. It's almost like they care more about become a martyr than fixing a situation. It doesn't matter what the issue is or what side of the spectrum it falls on, why this group of people always seems to exist and be hellbent on driving the conversation off a cliff is beyond me.

 

Cap and trade?

 

among others. Any idea in which you track and place a value on the downstream effect on emissions. US emissions are declining as-is. It is more about carrying over those declines from Europe and the US to a global level. Asia is going through their industrial revolution now, and are a large population. Anything that can be done to encourage them to skip over older tech during the process should be encouraged. And further advancements in the West should encouraged. while emissions are increasing, China, India, and Vietnam are taking strides towards renewables and reducing emissions. We ought to do what we can to support and encourage that. We all would reap the benefit. Even bad old coal can be scrubbed, if that is what fuel there is.

 

Asia and India are already taking great strides though, so I think we’re getting closer.

Still a long ways to go but heading in the right direction.

It’s already showing up in green space on satellite images. Due to more tree planting and less area required for crops due to the increased technology

 

I think that there’s almost always (99% of the time) common ground available on any issue, and upon which a majority of reasonably-minded persons could agree upon.

Climate change, healthcare, abortion, taxes, foreign policy, education, immigration, etc. etc. etc.

Where shit too often skips the rails is when one group / side - and it’s just as likely to be either the right or the left - jerk an issue into some unnecessarily dumb extreme, and thus forcing those who might otherwise be reasonably-minded and agreeable to assume and defend an equally extreme but opposite position to serve as a counter-balance, and even some that they may not have otherwise chosen or even personally want or prefer.

 

Which dovetails into my assertion that the grand problem facing the US political system is that the moderates have all been run off out of both parties and just about all we have left are extremists. What few moderates there are get hooted down as turncoats and have their careers threatened if they actually vote their conscience instead of going along party lines. Both sides are bad about this but it seems (to me, anyway...) that the Democrats have perfected this sort of political blackmail way better than the GOP.

 

I think there are a number of moderates in Congress and, in fact, quite a few. They just get drowned out in the media because they aren't as exciting in this age of info-tainment news.

 

I would prefer tax incentives that would eventually expire for cleaner technology or more draconian hard limits and permitting processes or a combination of each than some of the cap and trade talk from early on. It seemed too much like hard-lobbied cronyism back when it was being heavily debated. I've never been a fan of being able to sell the right to pollute in any fashion anyway.

 

I hope I'm wrong but this talk of "market solutions" seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic or Butch hiring a new OC. I suppose though it's the only thing we can do. That and pray for the permafrost to not thaw or release less methane than expected.

 

Something about Bill Nye cursing makes me simultaneously laugh and cringe. NSFW

 

Was this peer reviewed?

 

Did you see it? I don't think there's any question that thing's been peer reviewed to hell and back.

 

literally more than anything else ever.

 

Yeah, it was cool seeing Tosh's dad say the bad words

 

Serious note, is the 4-8 degrees a realistic number or was it for shock value?

 

If it is F, yes. The main predictions are 2-4C I believe.

 

I’ve yet to review any of it, and which I assume the world awaits.