Why is the government imposing 'Green Taxes' etc. due to an unlikely theory that humans are warming the Earth?

Question

CO2 relating to global warming is nothing more than a theory used and exploited for political and monitary gain by media and governments. Why should we suffer the taxes and other CO2 related oppression when it is an unproved theory? Why is questioning the popular notion seen as heretical?

Answer 1

Let me guess, you don't believe in evolution either? That's a theory aswell... So is the theory of gravity for that matter...

Answer 2

forget the green bit , it's just TAX   and Gordon brown trying to make us think he's Mr. Goody 2 shoes

Answer 3

well, the whole thing about global warming, is political , they just want money, why d you think al gore uses so much oil? he doesn't care about the enviroment, he just wants money. the government just wants MONEY. global warming isn't happening, the amount of ice in antartica is actoually increasing, polar bear populations are increasing, mars is warming at the same pace as earth, its natural, and you emmit half a ton of co2 a year breathing, cow farts are the third leading cuse of greenhouse gas emmisions, co2 is actually a very MINOR greenhouse gas, and solar activity is increasing tremendously. Liberals use FEAR to get people to go with them, fear is a very good weapon.

Answer 4

First they try and scare you and say we have a real problem that needs to be fixed, and then later you find out that the real motivation is political and economic.  It is a socialist political agenda and they do what all socialist do, tax and increase government intrusion and theft.

Answer 5

The idea of global warming has been around for years, it's only been in the past four or five years that politicians have 'recognised it'.  I'm going along with the global warming theory but I think the politicians main concern is weaning us off of oil (Well, that's my theory!).  The concept of peak oil has been knocking about ever since it's discovery and recently groups have been predicting that the peak is about to occur (Within the next decade) or, already has happened this year.  Plus with the majority of the resource in a politically unstable area it can only be good to reduce our consumption.

I suppose my generation has been brought up with the concept of global warming and so it's almost like a religion, 'This is the right way to think, it is correct' and it is hard for some people (and me) to accept that maybe it is a load of nonsense!  At any rate, we are consuming vast, immense quantities of resources, especially as the worlds population is increasing, so it wouldn't hurt to be 'green'.  As for the monetary gain, how else can they penalise you?  Though, the government could give out incentives instead, but they are not going to give away anything for free!

Answer 6

The theory is not unlikely, it is backed by overwhelming data nad the overwhelming majority of scientists.  Questioning it is not heretical, but it does show a lack of knowledge.

Global warming is real and mostly caused by us.  Three reasons, with solid support, most important first.

There's an overwhelming amount of peer reviewed scientific data that says that.  Short and long summaries.

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Ima...

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

Science is quite good about exposing bad science or hoaxes:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/ATG/polywater...

There's a large number of people who agree that it is, who are not liberals, environmentalists, stupid, or conceivably part of a "conspiracy".  Just three examples of many:

"Global warming is real, now, and it must be addressed."

Lee Scott, CEO, Wal-Mart

"Our nation has both an obligation and self-interest in facing head-on the serious environmental, economic and national security threat posed by global warming."

Senator John McCain, Republican, Arizona

“DuPont believes that action is warranted, not further debate."

Charles O. Holliday, Jr., CEO, DuPont

There's a lot less controversy about this is the real world than there is on Yahoo answers:

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/a...

And vastly less controversy in the scientific community than you might guess from the few skeptics talked about here:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/fu...

Good website for more info:

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

"Regardless of these spats, the fact that the community overwhelmingly supports the consensus is evidenced by picking up any copy of Journal of Climate or similar, any scientific program at the AGU or EGU meetings, or simply going to talk to scientists (not the famous ones, the ones at your local university or federal lab). I challenge you, if you think there is some un-reported division, show me the hundreds of abstracts at the Fall meeting (the biggest confernce in the US on this topic) that support your view - you won't be able to. You can argue whether the consensus is correct, or what it really implies, but you can't credibly argue it doesn't exist." -gavin

Dr. James Baker - NOAA

"There's a better scientific consensus on this [climate change] than on any issue I know - except maybe Newton's second law of dynamics". -Deltoid, ECOS Letter

Jerry Mahlman, NOAA

Answer 7

All you have to do is just remember what party just won the House. Didn't take them long did it?

Answer 8

As you have so rightly mentioned, it's a political issue. Governments and the opposition use it to win people over. It is all part of a strategy.

And as for the other people, well we need something is cling onto. A reason why things are happening as they are to our o-zone layer.

That is why i like answers cause here we can express ourselves and learn other opinions and find people who share ours.

Answer 9

Spot on.

For the Government they are just jumping on the bandwagon because they see its a great form of new taxation. The original environmental lobby was mainly made up of the loony left CND and anti globalisation supporters. They cant live without a cause to fight for.

Answer 10

I totally agree..... I am just wondering in 10 years time will they give us all our wasted money back and come and remove the windmill from my roof?

Answer 11

There is a book online someplace called, "The report from Iron Mountain".  Its free, and lots of pople have put it up to keep it from being taken down by the feds.  In that book you will find the answer.

To help you along,

The space program has run its course

The environmental contamination industry has run its course

The people wont allow governmentalization of the health care system, so the next great social distraction is global climate change...

After that, it'll have to be people from alpha centuri attacking earth.

Answer 12

Green taxes would be very good and justified if the money was spend on environmental issues.

A pity you don't think we damage our environment badly. Maybee you should try to produce your own energy, collect the gases from your car to breath, keep your garbage home for a while, just use rain water or from the closest natural source and block your sewage,

just to see if you'll damage your own environment.

Answer 13

The government (ours or anybody else's) will always look for a chance to impose a tax. This Green Tax is just the latest in a long line of examples.

I can't remember where I read it but there was a query over the veracity of the initial scientific work on climate change that has never been rectified - possibly because the media see global warming panic as a revenue builder (panic sells) and the politicians see it as a stepping stone to gain popularity and power.

I've tried looking for the article but have not been able to find it - hope someone else has better luck and posts it here in an answer.

As for questioning a popular notion being seen as heretical. There's articles about scientists who question the 'party line'  being denied funding and so on. Obviously the politicians  have their point of view and their agenda and the media support/perpetuate this as often as they can. Those who question are disturbing carefully laid plans and so are vilified in order to discredit open questioning and ensure that most of the public follow the popular notion like a herd of sheep.

Sorry - am I sounding a little cynical? lol

Answer 14

Green taxes are just a way of ripping off the people a bit more, if the government really want to help the GREEN cause then they should encourage more of the shops to help out like the group with Tesco that are reducing the price of their ECO bulbs to half, that way they become more accessible to all of us, and in the end every one wins, not just the grabbing government.