Why are global warming believers furious when they talk to skeptics?

Question

Yes as soon as i start talking about that subject 7 years of best mates and school couldn't keep him from cussing and swearing and saying im an idiot. So what turns the greenies green about us? is it our hair? the way we eat? Oh yeah and on a scale of 1 to 10 based on angryness and 10 bieng hulk like craziness, i put an 8 because some of those green guys start to pop their veins when their argueing

Answer 1

Because they are full of beans.

Answer 2

I think it's a frustration thing that you will not come around to his way of thinking, you won't trust who he trusts and believe what he believes.

Belief in AGW seems to be all about trust.

Answer 3

You've got to tell us what it is you're saying before we can answer this properly.  I'm guessing it's not the hair.

Sounds like they won't be best mates for long, or you'd better find a softer approach.

I may become passionate in discussing the situation, but I have never, ever become furious.  

Try to keep the "us" and "them" to a minimum and you'll get on better with people in general.

Answer 4

Usually it's because:

1. They try to turn the subject to be about Al Gore, and it's not.

2. They often know nothing about the subject but believe some equally uninformed person when they say it's not real.

3. They don't understand the difference between weather and climate.

4. They use faulty logic, like "Since the Earth has had climate cycles in the past, we are not the cause of what's happening today."

5. They say stuff like "What's the problem, I'd like the Earth to be warmer."  That's incredibly shortsighted.

6. They accuse climate scientists of perpetrating some hoax for personal gain.  This is defamatory, insulting, and just plain stupid.  Personally, two years ago I quit my full-time job to go back to school and get a doctorate in climate science.  So far it is costing me about $70,000/year.

Answer 5

I like your question. I am also glad to see that you seem to be rather level-headed.

I think that the reason the believers in man made global warming act so crazy is that they do not want their belief to be questioned.

They do not require any facts to support their 'faith'.

They get very upset if someone tries to question their religious belief.

Like all religions are based on faith, which means having a belief in something, which can never be proven, they believe what their religion has taught them.

To point out any flaws in their faith is seen as an attack on their religion.

This is exactly what the current situation seems to be all about.

The newest religion on the planet seems to have taken off and grabbed the public's heartstrings and emotions faster and more affective than any religion in history.

What makes this religion so much different than any other in the past is that you can belong to this religion without denouncing your previous religion, and atheists are also welcome.

This new religion hides behind a veil of half truths, deceit, and lies, promoted by arrogance, stupidity, media hype, and people who's sole intention is to make money at other peoples gullibility and ignorance.

There is nothing wrong with being ignorant on a subject.

Ignorance only means that you do not have knowledge on a particular subject.

I happen to be ignorant on several subjects, but I would never try to claim any knowledge or expertise on those subjects.

If people actually understood some basic science, they would be far less gullible, and willing to listen to proper scientists, rather than formulating unfounded opinions, based on what they see and hear in the media.

The fact is that you can not argue with science.

Perhaps this is what makes them act the way that they do, since any true science shoots down their belief.(My opinion)

Answer 6

Because global warming turned into global cooling and they did not like that so they change the name to global climate. They are all srcewed up in the head now

Answer 7

Being a global warming "believer" myself, I can answer this honestly: We are furious when talking with skeptics because this is a real problem, and we are concerned that is enough people don't believe it, no one will want to help. It's not that we want to start an argument, it's just that we have strong opinions.

Answer 8

Well... I was pretty upset too when my brother told me about Santa

Answer 9

Facts the Global Warming greenies hate to hear;

* There is no "scientific consensus" on global warming

* Climate is always changing – with or without man

* The Medieval Warm Period was significantly warmer than temperatures today – and was a golden age for agriculture, innovation, and lifespan

* Most of Antarctica is actually getting colder

* Hurricanes are not getting worse – our tendency to build houses in their path is getting greater

* Many big businesses lobby for global warming policies that will increase their profits – and our costs

* The media only recently abandoned the "global cooling" scare

* The real agenda behind the "global warming" scare? A massive expansion of government control over the economy and our lives

Answer 10

.   It sounds like a control issue with your mate and he obviously lacks self control.

(Edit)  

Because intelligent people find dumb people frustrating.

A intlelligent person would not make this statement.

Answer 11

I have a friend who is a "skeptic". What makes me furious when I talk to him is that he doesn't understand the basic science. He has no frame of reference for knowing whether one assertion is better than another so he just chooses the "right wing" one because he is right wing. Whenever I give a good science explanation it goes right over his head and he literally doesn't believe me or thinks I am making it up because it doesn't fall in line with what Rush Limbaugh believes. These people are impossible to persuade because they can't be bothered to learn the basic issues. You can see this on this website where people give arguments that have long since been demolished, but they give them as if they are some sort of earthshaking epiphany they need to tell everyone about. And it is particularly disgusting when the view these people oppose so ignorantly and staunchly  is supported by all the major science organizations that study climate.

Answer 12

One reason I believe is they are scared to admit they have been duped by the biggest scam ever. Take into consideration that over the next 15 to 20 years the earth will be in a cooling cycle, and the fact that that volcano that erupted put more pollutants in the air than we have since the car was invented, you have people that get defensive because their theory is falling through the floor.

Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others only gargle.

Answer 13

Well i know on this web site, they will get you deleted as quick as there is any other view except theirs.

Answer 14

What other type of response would expect from a little facist tree-hugger?

Answer 15

Maybe because he becomes frustrated and actually frightened hearing people don't take this serious issue seriously?

Imagine this: You're out in the forest with a friend in an extremely hot and dry period in the summer. Your friend light a fire in an irresponsible way, and you are afraid this is likely to lead to a wild fire spreading. Wouldn't you be frustrated if your friend didn't listen when you wanted him to put out the fire?

This, I think, is how many feels when hearing the skeptics arguments. They might not even be 100 percent confident themselves that AGW is true, but they want to be better safe than sorry.

Answer 16

The National Academy of Sciences:

http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/clim...

NASA:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library...

American Institute of Physics:

http://www.aip.org/history/climate/

cocomojo may have talking points, but he never backs them up. Maybe that's why AGW theory defenders get angry.

Answer 17

Because intelligent people find dumb people frustrating... When you understand global warming and someone, who never took a single SCIENCE class tells you that you are wrong... well... nobody likes being called dumb by an idiot.

Most of the people who disagree with global warming, have obviously never even watched a PBS documentary on the subject, let alone done any actual research on the subject... THEY KNOW NOTHING and what little they do know... IS WRONG... but they are too arrogant to LISTEN to the other side... they have been so brainwashed by the politicians and followed their nonsense like so many sheep... well..

IT'S FRUSTRATING TALKING TO THEM.

Answer 18

Because it's like arguing with someone who says the sky is polkadot coloured when you know full well it is blue. You can see it is blue but they say no it is polkadot. Its just frustrating.

To those of us who believe in Global warming it is a natural commonsense conclusion. We realise as human beings we are having an impact and we want to minimise that impact. It seems incredible to us that other human beings (especially friends I suppose) would not feel that same way and their refusal to want to deny it and contribute harm is upsetting.

It's hard to understand those who refuse to entertain the fact that we are causing damage to the earth, (when its obvious) and disregard the need to do something about it. It seems selfish and greedy. And to see that in a friend is even more upsetting. . .

PLUS there's always mention of politics! (Which is touchy enough)

Just hearing Al Gore's name (in relation to global warming) makes me infuriated and I'm from the other side of the world and don't even know anything about him!!!

Answer 19

Maybe they want you to give it a rest.  (If I can keep quiet, *he* should keep quiet)  They may be angry at *themselves* for ever making friends with you.  

Drugs may be involved.  Nicotine (as an example) has a side effect of making the user angry