Why do so many people still not believe in global warming?

Question

Even if you don't believe that greenhouse gas emissions are the cause, the earth is getting hotter, the ice caps are melting.. I don't understand what there is not to believe in.There is so much evidence that its happening, but I have yet to see credible research disproving it. (lots of crazy conspiracy theorist research, but no solid scientific evidence) Its not a matter of belief- its a fact. Why do so many people still deny that its happening? Do they think that if they don't believe it, it won't happen?

Answer 1

Some are honestly mistaken.  Others see conspiracies in everything.

But many are simply onservatives who take politics to great lengths.  If liberals, environmentalists, or worse, Al Gore, say something, it MUST be wrong.  No matter how many scientists also say it.

They should maybe listen to these guys, with undeniable conservative credentials:

"Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich challenged fellow conservatives to stop resisting scientific evidence of global warming"

"National Review (the most prestigious conservative magazine) published a cover story calling on conservatives to shake off denial and get into the climate policy debate"

Answer 2

No - The Earth is starting to cool, the ice caps are at normal mass, the Antarctic ice is larger now than ever recorded, there is only evidence if you listen to just one side.

No one can predict the future.  This is why "global warming" is more of a religion, it doesn't qualify as science.

Answer 3

The ones I've discussed it with seem to think that what they don't know is proof AGW is false.  That's a hard argument to beat.  As soon as you explain one thing they come right back with some goofy idea about something else.  Didn't someone say that wisdom is knowing when you don't know?

Answer 4

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.  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

Two reasons.  

First, ideology.  Most, if not all, of the doubters come from the political ideology that basically says: environmentalists are wackos, the government is evil, and unfettered capitalism is good & benevolent.  So anything that smells of being pro-environment or could possibly result in governmental restrictions on business profits is rejected outright (no evidence required).

Second, scientific illiteracy.  Both in terms of understanding the physical sciences involved as well as understanding how the scientific community in the world operates.

Answer 6

My guess would be that it is because the Earths climate is not static and always changes.  Global temperatures have risen recently, Meteorologists commonly state that "Hurricanes are getting worse, and global temperatures are rising" what most people don't realize is that our accurate reading of temperature and hurricane information  is basically limited to the last 103 years.  400 years ago, millions of people died because of cold and crop loss during the "little Ice age".  Temperatures fluctuate, and always will.

I'm not disputing Global Warming and we still need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but let's not overlook what factors are not taken into account

Answer 7

Because the oil companies have more PR budget than anyone else.

Answer 8

Because throughout the history of the Earth it's commonly had warming and cooling trends. At least that's what's been evident in Earth core samples.

Answer 9

Aren't you gratuitous assertions about "conspiracies" and "scientific evidence" exactly what the non-believers are saying about the religion of Global Warming?  By the rules of logic, your argument can be equally as gratuously refuted.

You worship your gods, let others worship theirs, and please don't ask me to subsidize yours with my money.

Answer 10

The earths' climates have changed in the past.  Just look at the fossil record, ice cores, etc.  I totally disagree with the ages that scientists put on these fossils and ice core layers saying they are millions of years old as their dating techniques are totally flawed.  However, there is no disputing the fact that you can find remnants of sea creatures and aquatic plants and coral in some deserts; petrified wood in areas that are virtually treeless today; etc.  

Our earth's climates have never stopped changing and are still changing today.  I do not have a problem with that.  What I do have a problem with are the fear mongers and control freaks who want to pass legislation; restrictions; mandatory levels of this and that; etc. in the name of "preventing" or "reducing" global climate change.  There is absolutely nothing we can do to stop the climate from changing.  Climate change is driven by changes in solar radiation (rate of release, intensity, etc) and there is nothing we can do to change the way the sun is aging and changing.  It is also effected by changes in the earth's orbit which is not as stable as you might think it is.  Nothing we can do about that either.

We have not been studying the potential effects of anything man is doing to have enough real data to prove that we are having any effect on the earths climates.

If you want to do something for the planet, stop worrying about climate change and start focusing that attention and energy towards something you can acutally do something about like pollution.  Recycle your trash. Minimize the amount of packaging you consume by buying things that have little or none.  Take cloth bags to the stores when you shop and don't accept the plastic and paper bags they want to put stuff in.  Buy stuff in the largest container it comes in rather than the smaller "convience" sizes.  If you have a lawn and/or garden, fertilize it with compost instead of chemicals (including Miraclegrow).  Use glue traps to catch pests in your house instead of insecticides.  By all means, drive less and get a more fuel efficient vehicle but do it for the cleaner air.  

If we'd all get back to working for cleaner air, more fertile soil, cleaner water and less trash; we'd have a nicer world to live in.  Forget about global warming, you can't do anything about it anyway.

Answer 11

I find it hard to believe in global warming because in the 70's every one was worried about 'Global Cooling.'

Let me also say that the temperature on MARS is increasing at the same rate as earth.

ITS CALLED A SOLAR FLARE PEOPLE!!!

Answer 12

i think city living divorced from the land is almost as much to blame as the consumer culture. it is very easy indeed to 'filter' what you see online or even on the telly to fit your existing world view. and the reality is scary.

Answer 13

Folks don't dispute we have warmed out of the last extensive glaciation 10,000 years ago, or out of the "little ice age" 400 years ago.

Mankind's contribution, above and beyond normal statistical variation, is what is being researched.

Scientists don't really ask that anyone "believe" a particular explanation.  Some models and explanations fit the data and evidence better than others.  And some models, that are definitely not correct, are still used for convenience.

So it isn't a matter of asking the world to disprove a particular hypothesis, it is up to the proponents to make a solid case.

Like show at the 95% statistical confidence level current temperatures are outside normal variance.

Can you do that, show a graph of temperatures going back 10,000 years to an accuracy and precision of 0.1 C, and point out exactly where our current temperatures are out of line?

Just ask yourself this question.  Previous ice age glaciation cycles cannot be adequately explained, although there are a lot of theories that don't fit the data very well.

If past cycles cannot be explained, how can anyone be sure of an explanation for the current cycle?

How about global warming hurricane predictions.  No one really knows much about hurricane frequency, but the year after Katrina global warming was definitely going to cause more hurricanes.

Not maybe, probably, likely ... but will cause more hurricanes.

Answer 14

Same reason that people do not believe that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the LORD of Lords. Same reason why people don't believe that there is one god Alah and that Muhammed is his prophet. Same reason why people don't all believe that Scientology, Homeopathy Medice, or the tennets of Hinduism, Budism, Shinto, or Taoism are true. Everything is subject to criticism and man-made global warming has plenty of it.

Answer 15

what was the average temperature of the earth in 1907?

compare it to the average temp in 2007. or choose two different years 100 or 200 years apart.

use an error factor of plus or minus 2 degreesF. due to differing measuring methods & locations.the early data will be from mercury thermometers primarily on ships at sea.

where is the warming? the emperor has no clothes!

you are entitled to your beliefs dont expect anyone else to believe without evidence.

Answer 16

I don't believe IN global warming because I'm Jewish. It doesn't seem to make sense to have 2 religions at once.

Answer 17

I don't kniow I know that thousands of people waist electricity.

It's a waist true but when the world ends God will end it.

Answer 18

Actually the number of people who do not believe is very low, about 6%:

"Seven out of ten Americans surveyed believe that global warming is probably happening. Seventy-one percent say that global warming is probably happening, 6 percent believe it is probably not happening, and 23 percent are unsure. This includes an 81-to-3 percent margin among Democrats, a 75-to-4 percent margin among independents, and a 56-to-13 percent margin among Republicans."

http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/conten...

As for why some people do not believe, it's a mental adaptation to the threat:

“The closer you look, the more clearly you see that denial is part of the uneasy bargain we strike to be social creatures,” said Michael McCullough, a psychologist at the University of Miami and the author of the coming book “Beyond Revenge: The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct.” “We really do want to be moral people, but the fact is that we cut corners to get individual advantage, and we rely on the room that denial gives us to get by, to wiggle out of speeding tickets, and to forgive others for doing the same.”

Denial Makes the World Go Round

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/health...

Psychology: Denial

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

"Dr. Hilary Knatz, the author of Getting On, states that 'Denial, is a way of coping with unpleasant realities' (Knatz, 1999). She then goes on to explain that: Denial, in the psychological/psychiatric vernacular, is a defensive strategy to minimize anxiety."

"Sadly, many addicts continue to act out on their addictions while their world collapses around them blaming everything but the addiction for their problems (USDHHS, 1994)"

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"I have yet to see credible research disproving it. (lots of crazy conspiracy theorist research, but no solid scientific evidence)..."

Yes, welcome to the "debate" on global warming.  There is no real debate, only some unsupported rantings of people who, due to the blinding nature of denial, cannot see that their position is unsupported and therefore illogical.

Answer 19

The Earth's climate is cyclical.  Many believe that the temperature changes are all part of the natural cycle of events on this planet.  I find it hard to prove or disprove either side.  The earth is too large of a test subject for science to prove a theory based on so many variables.

You'd think that even if people don't believe in global warming, they would still want to reduce the amount of pollution we put into the air, earth and water every day.  It could only benefit us.

Answer 20

Obstinance, ignorance, and conservative political propaganda brainwashing them. Many people confuse long term natural climate changes with short term changes. They don't have an accurate understanding of how lopsided the debate is for and against because they scour the internet sites full of bad science which may sound convincing at first glance to someone who doesn't know better. They can't see an immediate change. Just as in species evolution, you can't see it happen in real time so there are always those who deny it's reality. It would be like planting grass seed and watching the ground for 5 minutes and concluding that grass doesn't grow from seeds because you can't see it. Remember, we're talking about a population of people, half of whom believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old.

Answer 21

You need to check your fact.  The ice caps are not melting anymore then they have ever melted in fact and yes I said fact not oh I think but scientific fact, the ice caps have more ice accumulated this past year then in recorded history.  Wow! if it is melting it is freezing again and even adding more to it. All four major weather recording  stations around the globe recorded record lows not just for winter but for the whole of last year.  They don't predict the weather they record it. Last summer we (were I live in TX) had hardly any summer at all.  It never really got hot except for about 10 days towards the end of the summer.  That is very odd for this area.  But it has happened before about 50 years ago and then about a 100 years ago. The last two winters seemed to hang on forever. We got snow on Easter weekend last winter.  And snow several other times during both the last two winters. Snow here isn't unheard of but it is rare.  One snow a year is about it, if that.  I mention both the global recordings and locally because when I have made statements like that before you guys always say "oh well that is just locally" and if I say the other then it's some other excuse.  The people who don't and won't believe the evidence are the ones that use our brains to actually look at all the evidence before we follow along and the EVIDENCE just doesn't back up Global Warming.