Can skeptics help cure people's fear for AGW?

Question

According to some in this section global warming "alarmism" is making young people feel suicidal.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj7pZoxN.suf47h1cMt7W.kS.Rd.;_ylv=3?qid=20080331034144AAYedgB

So, can global warming denial help "cure" other people's fear or is it just making it worse?

What do you think is the best way to help people who is extremely scared of global warming and its consequenses?

Answer 1

To some degree, yes, denial can be a useful psychological tool that can help prevent being paralyzed by fear:

"In general, it must be observed, the world is full of terrifying possibilities that we could never completely comprehend (1998). Denial is the refusal to believe or accept the reality that certain events have happened, are happening, or will happen. To accept the reality would bring emotional pain, so the events are denied. Related to denial is the defense called minimizing. Events are accepted, but only in a watered down version."

"There are several defining characteristics that identify the possibility that a patient may be in denial. Some examples include pretending something does not exist when in reality it does. Being willing to admit there is a problem, but unwilling to see the severity of it. Seeing the problem as being caused by something or someone else. The behavior is not denied, but its cause is someone else's responsibility. Offering excuses, alibis, justifications, and other explanations for behavior. Dealing with the problem on a general level; avoiding personal and emotional awareness of the situations or conditions. Changing the subject to avoid threatening topics. Becoming angry and irritable when reference is made to the condition. These defining characteristics help to avoid the issue at hand (Whitfield, 1994). "

"In order to be a normal functional being, you must deny death. Healthy denial allows you to keep going. It's when it interferes with survival that it seems to cause a problem. What we call denial is often really suppression, which is “the conscious or semiconscious decision to avoid attending to the conflict” (Davidhizar, Poole, Giger, & Henderson, 1998). "

http://www.wowessays.com/dbase/ae5/csk11...

Answer 2

They're certainly right to be concerned.  It shows they have learned a little bit about it.  The responsibility of the adults is to show them they can turn that concern into action.  There are many direct actions a citizen can take to leave the world a better place than they found it, like cleanup days for sensitive areas, or planting days, etc.  Others may find electioneering for a strong environmental candidate in a local election is more suited to their gifts.

The important thing they can learn-- need to learn-- is that when faced with a situation that looks bad, just giving up, running away, pretending it's not there, and all that type thing aren't much help.  My oldest is 32 and my youngest 27, so I feel I have some standing to comment.  The older is a math teacher, and the younger teaches English as a second language.  I'm proud of them, because I know they are what they are because they were taught when problems come along face them don't deny, hide, or try to run away.  That's the message I want to send to those kids frightened by Global Warming.  They will face many other challenges in their life, and the same rules apply to all of them.

Answer 3

i have yet to meet a suicidal youth because of AGW,

Who really writes ,i am only 14 and we are all gonna die ,i am so scared i want to kill myself

Why bother if you think we are gonna die anyway,and deny Mother earth the pleasure

but is it really the fear of Global Warming ??????.

I think it is the  fear of becoming Environmentally responsible that makes them work so hard to deny things

.

But fine ,if abstinence from the truth works for you ,this is by no means an original thought.

Piña Colada works better for me and cold blooded preparation

by growing some plants for shade to hide under.

Besides why fear something that will happen to all of us

Answer 4

For the short-term, yes.  There's an expression 'ignorance is bliss'.  This is my main explanation for why people are in denial about AGW.  They're just afraid.  Afraid somebody will tell them they can't drive their Hummer anymore.  Afraid the government will enact a carbon tax.  Afraid they'll have to take some responsibility for their environmental impact.

Rather than face this fear, they go into denial.  They ignore the science, stick their fingers in their ears and yell 'I can't hear you la la la la!'.  It's a very comfortable feeling pretending that nothing is wrong with the world.

Of course the problem with denial is that it doesn't make the problem go away.  Children who are afraid of AGW have every reason to be.  They're undoubtedly more educated on the subject that global warming deniers, because the deniers refuse to learn.  But as the planet continues to warm, the consequences will simply get worse and worse.  Ignoring them may make people feel better in the short-term, but they'll pay for their denial in the long run.

Answer 5

You have to realize the average individual is not a scientist. That leads to the scenarios of blind acceptance, denial, or skepticism. Very few things in life has absolute proofs, so most will try to rationalize with moderation. It should always be emphasized that GW/AWG/CC is a progressive study, and not an absolute. Skepticism is a copying mechanism that can help. I have found, that just as many questions are unanswered then answered. Alarmist/extremist  are what most skeptics refer to as noble liar's, it doesn't mean the underlying premises is wrong, just the way it's promoted.

Answer 6

Over-population.  Nuclear anihilation.  Fresh water pollution.  Air pollution--the real kind, not CO2.

If you listen to what "they" tell you you wonder if life is worth living.

When I was growing up in the sixties we we're doomed from ten different directions.  I've learned to quit listening.  "THEY" have generally been wrong.

Answer 7

Skeptics are only adding to the fear that young people are having, making them feel even more suicidal by giving them false hope.

If these young people could just accept their fate that man as already killed the planet, that there is no more future because the world is so vastly overpopulated and polluted, then maybe there would be a faint glimmer of hope.

With any luck the governments could impose a totalitarian government like that of North Korea to finally eliminate global warming from the planet.  This may sound like an extreme example, but saving the Earth is an extreme cause, wouldn't you agree?

Answer 8

if Global warming is really happening then why am I so COLD

Answer 9

As long as the media keeps helping pump up the fear factor I think all we can do is wait for nature and the real world temperatures to prove the extent of the fearmongering, we will all eventually see that the world is not coming to an end and the climate is coasting along just fine without us as saviors.

Answer 10

For starters scaring children about consequences of global warming that is not based on scientific literature is immoral.  If you want to educate children on this matter tell them what the scientific literature really says, and not what the boogy man says.

The scientific literature does not support:

Hurricanes like Katrina will become more common.

20 Feet sea level rises.

The gulf stream shutting down plunging Europe into an ice age.

Believing in AGW is not scary.  Believing that the sun is the primary driver of climate change means that we may be heading into another ice age (the sun is experiencing low activity not seen since the little Ice age), and there is nothing we can do about it.  That is scary.

Answer 11

Recently over 400 scientists state that your global warming theory is full of BS...

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?F...

Then there are even more scientists speaking out against the global warming 'fantasy.'

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?art...

Again, another IPCC scientist speaks out against the global warming hype....

http://www.deadfishwrapper.com/ipcc_scie...

Now, the IPCC is in panic mode because.... THEY LIED!!!!!

Now, all those people will soon be out of a job.... HOwever, they keep misinterpreting data to reflect a global warming trend that simply DOES NOT EXIST!!!!

http://www.climatescienceinternational.o...

Welcome to reality.....

Answer 12

Fear is increased as people come to the realization that there are many people willing and eager to continue burning open ended quantities of fossil fuels. It is not particularly helpful to them to know that these people are convinced that AGW is non existent.

Now assurance that people want to conserve fossil fuels for  a future need is helpful even if they do not buy the AGW story. It accomplishes the same thing for a different reason.