Climate Change: Shockingly Low Awareness

YPCCC-RGB-GRAY-FBIn this article, 87 Percent of Americans Unaware There’s Scientific Consensus on Climate Change, we see the result of surveys conducted by Yale and George Mason Universities.

All we’re seeing here is the product of a disinformation campaign of epic proportions, waged by vested interests, mainly oil companies, over four solid decades. It’s been staggeringly effective. (Linked above is one of many “scholarly” articles on the subject, published by John Wiley and Sons; interesting stuff, IMO.)

The most common, albeit incorrect answer to the survey question “What percent of climate scientists believe that climate change is real, and that it’s caused primarily by human activity?” is 50%. This makes eminent sense, given that we’re commonly told that “the science isn’t settled.” As U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said recently, “For every scientist you can put in front of who believes the theory, I can put one in front of you who doesn’t.”  Of course, that’s completely untrue, but when it comes from a person of stature, it’s understandable that scientifically illiterate people are going to go along.

As a decent human being, it’s hard to image that this is going on; it seems more like a dream than a waking experience.  Sadly, that’s not the case.

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2 comments on “Climate Change: Shockingly Low Awareness
  1. marcopolo says:

    Craig,

    I wasn’t aware one of the qualifications to be a “decent human being” was knowingly repeating untrue myths!

    You know perfectly well the oft repeated claim, “97 percent of climate scientists that concur that human-caused global warming is happening”, is a complete fabrication !

    Each time you have published this lie, I’ve provided an accurate analysis debunking this assertion. Each time you are unable to refute my evidence, but yet you persist in perpetrating the myth.

    Why? Why continue to repeat a lie? Do you imagine if you shout it long enough people will just get tired of correcting you and the lie will become reality?

    Do you imagine that acquiescence means agreement? Don’t you realize that when no-one cares enough to bother continually correcting you, they also disregard the rest of the message?

    This is very annoying for those of us in the field of possessive environmental action since it makes our efforts to persuade the general public to invest and adopt advanced Clean(er) technology, so much harder.

    Your counter-productive, political/ideological advocacy damages the credibility of the advantages of Clean(er) technology with the general public.

    But hey, here’s a challenge! Explain how the IPCC arrived at the figure of 97% ? Show the methodology of how that statistic was compiled.

    Like the man said, “either put up, or Shut up!”.

  2. marcopolo says:

    Craig,

    Hmmmm,..well, it appears you have exercised the second option! (so much easier than defending an indefensible falsehood)