Why do so many people believe in a lie?

Question

Global Warming, that is

The global temperature has changed over the last 200 years as much as it changes while waiting for a red light to change. Why do so many people still want to believe?

Answer 1

Well Alex, we do need to monitor our global environment. But I don't see the need to panic over a projected 50 year change of .016 degrees of change...the operative word is projected. No doubt humans make a difference. And we do need to try our best to preserve our natural resources and health of the environment, but going into a tizzy and throwing everyone into an uproar without concrete evidence is irresponsible in my opinion.

Answer 2

I think it is a combination of needing a cause mixed with the perception that the snow melted a little earlier last year than 'normal.'

Move on to the fact that everyone going through school is subjected to earth day and the idea that Global Warming theories are presented as fact instead of a theory. It is easy to believe there is more to it than there actually is.

If there is any significant climate changes or temperature changes (and we are talking a degree or three in the past 100 years) it is a natural occurrence that has nothing to do with man's technology.

I heard someone point out that 600 years ago Greenland had a lot of green to it (thus it's early name), of course that isn't the case for the past 200 years or more. This wasn't the result of man's technology, but a cycle of temperate and climate changes that is normal to the earth's changes over time.

There seems to be a belief that man's influence on the earth's environment is powerful, when the truth of the matter is, man is simply not that powerful.....

Answer 3

Some people answering here are struggling w/ the question of global warming.--But the real question is weather Man has a great enough impact to cause it or to stop it. The evidence is incomplete .
Mars is also warming, so the culprit might be changing conditions on the sun, and not excess CO2.
LE ANN-- you make sense ,but can we at least try to get more info. before we spend a lot of time and money on strategies that may be useless?

Answer 4

I hear you and you make a good point.

However, the lie may well be to believe that we can spew millions of tons of CO and CO2 annually into our atmosphere and it won't have any effect.
That's not very likely in a complex environment and ecology such as ours.

Think of it like this - if we're wrong about global warming and the possible human causes - what possible harm can come in implementing fiscally responsible laws that help clean up our air vs. the detrimental effects future generations will face if we're right?

Answer 5

In the past 650,000 years, there have been about five ice ages, and corresponding warm periods between. During all this time, temperature has always corresponded to carbon levels, which never rose above 300 parts per million.

The current level of carbon in the atmosphere is 380 ppm.

Do you really want conservatives to be the anti-science party? What's that Ph.D. in, anyway?


EDIT:

Actually, I was a little outdated in my science. They now know the current CO2 levels are higher than any in the last 800,000 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5314592.stm

Answer 6

People used to believe the earth was the center of the universe. Didnt it make true. Just like pretending like global warming isnt happening will make it go away.

Answer 7

You won't like this, but here goes:

There's one unifying concept in our culture - faith (or more to the point, a rejection of reason). With this MO, anything goes: a militant Muslim will take your head, a collectivist will take your dough, a Fascist will command your operations, an altruist will indict your prosperity & expropriate it to the poor, an enviromentalist (global-warmer) will take 1/7th of your existence (at this point to comply w/Kyoto). These are all appeals to faith / mysticsm. Let the thumbs down roll!

There is such a thing as rational thought. It's poking its head out, but unpopular these days.

Answer 8

Global Warming is a heck of a lot more believable than you having a Ph.D.

You should cite your sources sometime, and it's clear to me that you don't understand the evidence that's been presented.

Answer 9

yea science is on your side huh? science says that "IF" it is happening then the planet will be inhabitable. but science say the "fact" is the sun will go red giant 100 thousand years before the "projected" overheating due to global warming. I "know" that will happen its a fact and you cant survive living on the sun so what is your plan to stop that?


lol steves second post says they took a poll and 84 % of the people think that it is getting hotter and that a majority of those thinks it due to global warming.... this is really scientific. Polling the people to see if the world is heating up... I love it...

Answer 10

Because they have science behind them. Science always wins no matter how loud someone screams otherwise.

And if you want to argue with the scientists that say global warming exists and is affected by man, please provide the journal. You can do a search and find a ton of stories on global warming in the affirmative, but it's hard to find reputable (not motivated by personal issues) scientists that say global warming is a hoax.

So people can say all they'd like about those scientist who say it is real, but please provide evidence for why you discount them.

And what harm can come from economically and fiscally responsible environmental reform?