Comments on: Poll: 63% of Americans say global warming threat equal to terrorism http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/ Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:38:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Josh Lynch http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45384 Josh Lynch Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:01:31 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45384 Thanks for your thoughtful comments Nathan. I think you are right that it is important to respond intelligently to the problem of climate change. It is important to consider who it is who is saying what on this issue. Before Hollywood-types and U.S. politicians became the face of the global warming debate, the face of the debate was scientists. What leading climate scientists have said consistently for two decades is that putting more greenhouse gases (both natural and human-induced) into the atmosphere is destabilizing the climate in ways that we don't even fully understand as well as in ways that we do understand and can predict (like warming and higher intensity of storms). Most recently these same scientists that initially gave more conservative predictions of climate change have come out with intensive reports explaining the severity of the consequences and the steps needed to mitigate the most devastating effects. Partially as opportunists, partially in reaction to these reports, and partially because they have truly become enlightened and given a voice, many leaders are now laying out their plans for what we should do about it. In my opinion, it is important that whatever steps we take meet these criteria: A) Be taken to a level that will give us a chance at avoiding the most devastating consequences of climate change B) Include funds and programs for a just transition for workers and citizens who would be affected by economic shifts C) Provide loans and incentives to bring China and India along with transitioning their economies to low-carbon solutions without hurting their ability to increase their standards of living Reducing greenhouse gas pollution starts by becoming more efficient and getting rid of waste, which helps everyone in the long term. What would your plan be? Thanks for your thoughtful comments Nathan. I think you are right that it is important to respond intelligently to the problem of climate change. It is important to consider who it is who is saying what on this issue. Before Hollywood-types and U.S. politicians became the face of the global warming debate, the face of the debate was scientists. What leading climate scientists have said consistently for two decades is that putting more greenhouse gases (both natural and human-induced) into the atmosphere is destabilizing the climate in ways that we don’t even fully understand as well as in ways that we do understand and can predict (like warming and higher intensity of storms). Most recently these same scientists that initially gave more conservative predictions of climate change have come out with intensive reports explaining the severity of the consequences and the steps needed to mitigate the most devastating effects. Partially as opportunists, partially in reaction to these reports, and partially because they have truly become enlightened and given a voice, many leaders are now laying out their plans for what we should do about it. In my opinion, it is important that whatever steps we take meet these criteria:

A) Be taken to a level that will give us a chance at avoiding the most devastating consequences of climate change
B) Include funds and programs for a just transition for workers and citizens who would be affected by economic shifts
C) Provide loans and incentives to bring China and India along with transitioning their economies to low-carbon solutions without hurting their ability to increase their standards of living

Reducing greenhouse gas pollution starts by becoming more efficient and getting rid of waste, which helps everyone in the long term.

What would your plan be?

]]> By: Nathan http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45383 Nathan Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:32:19 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45383 I'm a 16 year old boy from Houston TX and I think that there are a couple things we need to look at about global warming before we get all in a flutter about it, because it is being hyped and its advocates are using scare tactics Climate change has been so politicized it is sickening. If it wasn't being dogmatically hyped I might give it a little more credence. Frankly, the threat is exaggerated, all these people want is money and power, I don't think the majority of them really care about the earth and they certainly don't really seem to care as much about human life. We also need to look at this problem in terms of net benefits. A lot of the money that could be spent on efforts to stop global warming and lost by adherence to the Kyoto protocol could be much better spent helping developing countries stop disease etc. Also, China and India are the biggest polluters, even if the U.S. adhered to Kyoto we would only decrease global warming by half a degree Celsius. Also, how do we know what good climate is? The answer is we don't, at least not definitively. There is evidence that nature makes most of the greenhouse gases and that the cause of climate change could be solar. Hasty measures will probably do more harm than climate change could. We should calmly think through this instead of doing something quickly that we might regret later (sorta like the DDT ban, the result was the deaths of millions of people in Africa, as well as billions of dollars of crops destroyed) I’m a 16 year old boy from Houston TX and I think that there are a couple things we need to look at about global warming before we get all in a flutter about it, because it is being hyped and its advocates are using scare tactics

Climate change has been so politicized it is sickening. If it wasn’t being dogmatically hyped I might give it a little more credence. Frankly, the threat is exaggerated, all these people want is money and power, I don’t think the majority of them really care about the earth and they certainly don’t really seem to care as much about human life. We also need to look at this problem in terms of net benefits. A lot of the money that could be spent on efforts to stop global warming and lost by adherence to the Kyoto protocol could be much better spent helping developing countries stop disease etc. Also, China and India are the biggest polluters, even if the U.S. adhered to Kyoto we would only decrease global warming by half a degree Celsius.

Also, how do we know what good climate is? The answer is we don’t, at least not definitively. There is evidence that nature makes most of the greenhouse gases and that the cause of climate change could be solar. Hasty measures will probably do more harm than climate change could. We should calmly think through this instead of doing something quickly that we might regret later (sorta like the DDT ban, the result was the deaths of millions of people in Africa, as well as billions of dollars of crops destroyed)

]]> By: The Next British Invasion: Public Acceptance of Climate Change? at It’s Getting Hot In Here http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45382 The Next British Invasion: Public Acceptance of Climate Change? at It’s Getting Hot In Here Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:15:05 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45382 [...] new Yale research survey conducted by the Global Strategy Group, that Josh recently wrote about, showed a major shift in public perceptions of global warming and another environmental issues, [...] [...] new Yale research survey conducted by the Global Strategy Group, that Josh recently wrote about, showed a major shift in public perceptions of global warming and another environmental issues, [...]

]]> By: Michelle Yang http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45381 Michelle Yang Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:38:27 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45381 Let us hope that Napoleon is also correct in the Australian context, where a recent international poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found strong support in Australia for action on climate change. 'Australians are the most likely among the 13 countries asked to favor taking steps to deal with the problem of global warming. Nine in ten Australians (92%) agree that climate change requires action, including 69 percent who support immediate steps “even if this involves significant costs.” Another 23 percent say the effects of climate change will be gradual and that it can be dealt with “by taking steps that are low in cost.” Australians also believe overwhelmingly (95%) that global warming could threaten Australia’s vital interests in the next decade. This includes more than two-thirds (69%) who say it constitutes a “critical threat.” Unsurprisingly, given what they believe to be the seriousness of the issue, Australians almost unanimously (99%) say that improving the global environment should be an important foreign policy goal, including 88 percent who consider it “very important."' http://www.ccfr.org Let us hope that Napoleon is also correct in the Australian context, where a recent international poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found strong support in Australia for action on climate change.

‘Australians are the most likely among the 13 countries asked to favor taking steps to deal with the problem of global warming. Nine in ten Australians (92%) agree that climate change requires action, including 69 percent who support immediate steps “even if this involves significant costs.” Another 23 percent say the effects of climate change will be gradual and that it can be dealt with “by taking steps that are low in cost.” Australians also believe overwhelmingly (95%) that global warming could threaten Australia’s vital interests in the next decade. This includes more than two-thirds (69%) who say it constitutes a “critical threat.” Unsurprisingly, given what they believe to be the seriousness of the issue, Australians almost unanimously (99%) say that improving the global environment should be an important foreign policy goal, including 88 percent who consider it “very important.”‘

http://www.ccfr.org

]]> By: Francis Manns http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45380 Francis Manns Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:43:04 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45380 Stop scaing the children. Stop scaing the children.

]]> By: orie http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45379 orie Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:19:26 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/poll-63-of-americans-say-global-warming-threat-equal-to-terrorism/#comment-45379 I'm a 14 year old girl from Ny,and i for one am very concerned about global warming. I tell my friends at school about it but noone seems to care. WE ourselves can stop global warming. The only problem i think,is that just like my friends at school, alot of people don't care. The Presidant should do something about it,he has the power. Um, i'm not so sure if global warming is equal to the threat as terrorism,though both can occur at anytime. I strongly suggest that everyone around the world should work together to save our earth,and most of all humanity. I'm starting to think no body cares about the earth. I’m a 14 year old girl from Ny,and i for one am very concerned about global warming. I tell my friends at school about it but noone seems to care. WE ourselves can stop global warming. The only problem i think,is that just like my friends at school, alot of people don’t care. The Presidant should do something about it,he has the power.
Um, i’m not so sure if global warming is equal to the threat as terrorism,though both can occur at anytime.
I strongly suggest that everyone around the world should work together to save our earth,and most of all humanity. I’m starting to think no body cares about the earth.

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