Now only 36% believe the Earth is being warmed by manmade sources.
It’s really not surprising at all, though. AGW rests on some very shaky evidence, which has only recently come to light because the “scientists” involved have been assiduously avoiding requests to share their data (which is crazy when you think about it: “I have evidence we need to spend trillions of dollars or the world will end! What? You want to see my work? No way!”).
When you get down to it, the whole thing falls apart without the hockey stick, because otherwise you don’t need CO2 to explain anything; as this graph shows, the proxy averages indicate the Earth saw very similar warming around 1200. But for all the cries of “consensus” the hockey stick is the product of a relatively small group of people who all cite each other and tend to be environmentalists — and some of them appear to have done some very bad things with the data; this year, it’s started to look more like a hoaxey stick.
Meanwhile, AGW proponents’ predictions both short- and long-term haven’t panned out. The Arctic wasn’t ice-free this year or last, hurricane activity is dropping off the charts, the 1988 IPCC predictions were all too high, and the methane prediction turned out to be way off too.
All in all, it’s looking more and more likely that trace concentrations of CO2 just aren’t that important to climate.
I think most people are open to the idea of AGW, but the evidence just isn’t there, at least not yet. If temperatures spike over the next 10-20 years, we might have to reconsider, but if a cooler PDO pushes them down AGW may be regarded as the Club Of Rome prediction of its day.
UPDATE: What’s really astonishing in the poll is that only 57% even believe the Earth is warming at all, which runs counter to what informed skeptics know: the satellite trend is .1 degree per decade, which is below IPCC predictions but obviously still positive. This says that the public has completely lost trust in the people doing this “science.”
{ 8 comments }
Whatever happened to the “ozone hole” or “acid rain” or “global cooling”?
The zealots keep switching horses, trying to find the scary meme that will serve as a predicate to transform their economic vision to reality: all of us driving electric golf carts on the freeway, drinking cappacinos in bio-degradeable cups, with tofu burgers for lunch.
Count me out.
I like old-fashioned conservation — but I ain’t joining the “green revolution”.
–HB
If 64% of Americans believe something, it must be true!!!!
I love how in the determination of “truth” Americans are always cool with just “taking a poll” and moving on.
I’m equally enthralled with the idiotocracy that’s always willing to eat it up!
MD,
It’s surprising pro-AGW people keep responding that way. The poll isn’t cited as proof of anything; in fact, numerous scientific points are made to explain the poll results, with 8 or 9 links.
What’s really funny is the pro-AGW people are the ones who keep saying “consensus!” as though science is done by opinion polling.
I believe the poll showed that only 36% think it’s a serious problem, not that they disagree that it’s happening. That seems to be a pretty accurate assessment of the “problem” to me. The AGW crowd has correctly recast global warming as “climate change”, and that’s precisely what it is – variation in a thermodynamic system. We have evidence for this change throughout the fossil record and through direct observation over the last 100 or so years.
The environmentalist movement, not to be confused with the conservation movement, finally found a stick to beat the oil companies with. They’re coming awfully close to being successful in their efforts by using the lie of global warming to dramatically increase taxes and government reach. Please contact your Senators and Representative to fight against Cap and Tax. Do it today.
Personally, I have no problem with electric vehicles if they deliver the performance I’m accustomed to. Electrification of vehicles means that they become energy agnostic, powered by coal, oil, gas, nuclear, wind or solar, or a combination of these where it fits. Fewer moving parts means less maintenance, and centralized burning of fossil fuels is more efficient and cleaner, meaning better use of our resources and less pollution. It also means energy independence from some very unsavory people.
Keith,
Both, actually. It also says only 36% believe manmade activity is mostly responsible for warming the Earth.
Ah, I missed that in the report I saw. That’s good to hear then! Perhaps America has finally woken up to the charade.
Connoting neither agreement nor disagreement. But since when did the level of popularity of a concept ever have anything to do with the science or lack of it underlying the concept?
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
I think there may be a relationship between a population’s agreement with a particular position and its validity, especially as the debate reaches the level and hour of the public’s perception of the AGW debate. In this case, it would seem that Americans are beginning to see through what I believe is an absolute fraud and bastardization of science to promote a massive power and money grab by the federal government. I’m very glad to see it, and I only hope it’s not too late to stop Cap and Tax.
Comments on this entry are closed.