Why do people have such misinformation about global warming?

Question

Its a very real and scary problem, yet the general public have such a varying levels of understanding of it. How can we fix our planet that we have fkuced up if people dont know what the problems are?

Answer 1

Because people hear what they want to hear. If they want to believe global warming is not real, they will only listen to information telling them it's not real. People will only research an issue far enough to confirm their own beliefs. They are only concerned with truth insofar as it agrees with what they already believe.
The capacity of some people to just flat out deny evidence is staggering.

Answer 2

Well, there is information, there is science and there is "belief."

The questioner starts with "It's a very real and scary problem"......why so?

I don't doubt the evidence stacks up FOR global warming, but I also know that even the best estimate is no more than 90% conclusive, which leaves a fairly big chunk of possible scepticism at 10%.

Then there are politicians, who ask an economist to look at the possible cost of global-warming, who then takes the "worst case scenario" and thus distorts the science. The "Stern Report" is probably utter garbage in scientific terms, yet politicians have begun to act on it as if it were gospel truth, rather than the discredited study it is.

Only 5% of CO2 in ther atmosphere is man-made, but ask most people, and they will tell you that we will all be choking to death the day after tomorrow unless something is done. CO2 remains a very small trace gas in an atmosphere which is largely Nitrogen.

If mankind cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, it would make only a difference of 2% in the current output of greenhouse gases.

58% of CO2 in the atmosphere comes naturally from the sea,
and 37% comes from respiration; though they are carbon-neutral in effect.

Now the questioner raises the scaremongering approach, when in fact, not only does it demonstrate a very limited knowledge, it possibly misses the point completely, and does nothing to further the cause of reducing greenhouse emissions.....and this is why.

If we accept that there are too many greenhouse gases being generated by the burning of fossil-fuels, then the LEAST effective way of dealing with it is by concentrating our efforts purely on energy use, and by setting unrealistic targets and future limits, because that is simply tinkering about with the status-quo. That therefore presents, as false-truth, the idea that this is the most important thing anyone can do, or that politicians are doing the right thing.

OK....let's assume that global-warming is happening, and it is going to bring problems.

If instead of tinkering with carbon-taxes and carbon-trading, we concentrated instead on more immediately pressing environmental problems, we may start to get somewhere.

Has the questioner ever considered that rampant consumerism; fuelled by unrestricted monetarism, is the ROOT CAUSE of excessive consumption?

We now live in a throw-away society, where things last a short while, and then get dumped. Money has become, like gold and silver, a mere commodity which is traded around the world, without the slightest regard for what it is doing, so long as it is seen as an investment which brings a profit. Making a profit is probably a good thing , but not when it is divorced from the reality of the consequences.

Slow production and consumption down, by making things last longer and requiring manufacturers to recycle the products they make; at the same time as increasing the taxes on new GOODS (rather than oil and coal), and what you would get is a shift in production and consumption behaviour, and at the same time, we would reap the benefits of less general pollution from chemical-waste, depletion of rain-forests and other causes of ecological grief.

I would suggest that we concentrate on the issue of "global warming" at our peril, because the more immediate problems are environmental damage, waste, pollution, excessive use of precious and finite resources, in addition to the expectations of more and more people who believe that it is possible to manufacture and consume things at an ever faster rate.

Start to address those problems, and you would automatically address the issue of global greenhouse gas emissions, because there would be less production, less waste, less transport, less use of energy etc etc etc.

It's not how you SEE a problem, but how you DEAL with the CAUSES of the problem, and dealing with it may be perfectly possible by changing production methods and altering the way we perceive the consumer society of today.

End of lecture, and don't. Mr Questioner, dare to give me a thumbs down.....just think about it.

Answer 3

The BBC started a news report last week with this statement:- 'Scientists have said today that global warming is a FACT - PREDICTIONS show that....' And that is where all the confusion starts. A prediction can NEVER be a fact - at the best it is an educated guess extrapolated from known facts. And that is why, as a scientific ignoramus, and many others who know a lot more than I do, are sceptical about what is being presented to us by the gloom and doom merchants. OK, yes, part of the Antarctic Ice cap is melting - but in other parts it is increasing. And yes, there are signs of melting in Greenland. But in the 12th century it froze over, that being one of the reasons the Vikings who had settled there 200 years earlier, had to leave.

Answer 4

Global warming has always been the subject of misinformation. Much of it has sadly come from those arguing that it is real, with dcotored reports and wild exagerations.

It does not help that a problem whose understanding lies in some pretty scary climate physics is often handled by people with a geography background. I worked on remote sensing research with such people, and was frightened at their scientific ignorance.

Couple this with the fact that taking action that is drastic risks economic and political instability of a kind we have not see in ages - we could precipitate a depression bigger than anything we have ever seen or even a world war - and it is easy to see why people are confused and reluctant to take a simplistic view.

Answer 5

The fact is global warming exists the argument is, if humans are contributing to it. The truth global warming is happening as a natural phenomena and humans are speeding the process.
Now why the misinformation well because Exxon has started this misinformation campaing to misinform people in an attempt to avoid people from switching to greener fuel consumptioon.

Answer 6

Misinformation circulated to prevent effective action, initiated by those who believe that they'll lose out if we have to do something about it (eg USA government due to close relationship of senior officials to environmentally unfriendly industries - Oil and Gas extraction, Car manufacturing etc).

However, their BS is now seen for what it is.

Please read the following links - this sums it all up.

Answer 7

I am not sure that it IS about "misinformation"...

I mean- LOOK at the term "misinformation"! I don't actually know of any scientific body which goes out of its way to distribute large amounts of erroneous information about our planet, do you (meaning anyone in on this great debate- thank you for asking it!)?

No.

The problem is our openess or willingness to disseminate or engage with the information which IS available. Whether it is 100% right, 50% wrong or whatever!

People, I have noted in my 42 years on this planet, are afraid of the unknown.

And people are inherently lazy.

I class myself in that same category! Afterall I live in the west and have at least five gadgets which are on standby in my livingroom (OK- so I do not have them elsewhere and I do use energy efficient lighting throughout!) and have not yet purchases a switched multiplug so I can switch four of them off (fifth being the phone- has to stay on!)

Fear:

Fear is the single most negative quality of a human being. It is what causes negative action and leads to unwillingness to try a different thought process.

Take a child's initial willingness to try new foods which, eventually turns into stubborn tantrums about stuff. It is a weak example of the fear of the unknown which drives us to put up blocks. "I am not listening" and hands over ears may sound like a caricaturisation of humanity faced by environmental disaster but hey- it is pretty succinct!

You know the old adage "head in the sand"? Yep- that is us!

We actually STILL believe (because it is comfortable to do so) that if we pretend it is not happening (or to someone else, in another lifetime) it will not happen (or affect US).

Sad fact.

Fear of the unknown is also what takes us to war, you know? I am not going to labour that angle as this is not where it is at here but while we give SO much place to fear of other cultures we cannot hope to deal with our fear that it MAY be too late to undo what we have, innocently for the best part, being doing for generations- wearing out our welcome on Planet Earth.

Because the end effect is not that the polar ice caps melt or that our ozone layer is destroyed but that WE, as a species, will no longer HAVE the planet we NEED to not only survive on but also to feel GOOD on.

Melting caps will mean higher sea levels. Yep- that is a fact. What does it mean for Africa? Well- most of its coastal regions will be under water. So where are the displaced to live? In the UK (ROFL!)? No- because THAT will be a third of its current size and counting. It actually means I can move to Glencoe because MY house will be under water! LOL!

And WHEN is this likely to happen? In my life time or in that of my greatgreatgreatgreatgrandchild some years from now. Maybe. Maybe in the next 50.

:-)

Seeing we have never BEEN here before and we are doing such a POOR job of managing the planet we could be there in my lifetime, yes!

Laziness:

Aye! We ARE lazy. I noted that folk are carping about the increases in "work" they have to do to their rubbish. Too much trouble to separate it and have more than 1/10th recycled... Who WANTS to take the cardboard/paper and stick it in a special bag and then have it lying about for the weekly collection? Who WANTS to deal with turning off those aforementioned standby appliances and lights?! Let someone else do it- not me!

Well, not not me because I am actually in business as a designer of environmentally friendly lifestyle accessories. I am not lazy. I work HARD to do my bit for the protection of MY environment. Because I OWN UP to my place on the planet and how I can affect it.

Yes, I have read the replies so far and for the most part am encouraged to see that many of us DO take responsibility but CAUTION- it is EASY to blame "business" and "government" for the damage. VERY easy. Laziness on our part though...

The beauty of THIS issue is that WE, the individual, CAN make a difference.

WE. Just you alone, you alone, you alone and me alone. Each one of us.

DO it. Just take a look at yourself, address your inherent laziness and MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Because good home insulation, turning off lights in rooms not occupied, turning down heating, car sharing, bicycle riding, rubbish recycling, using http://www.freecycle.org to avoid filling landfill with non-recyclable stuff, buying stuff with small eco footprints (meaning that their transport and manufacture has had minimal impact on the environment), lobbying government and business, being aware and responsible and above all- turning debate to positive action, WILL make a difference.

And because of that I thank you. I just hear my boiler kick in- seems I have a radiator on in the house. Seeing I don't need it just now I will go turn it off. Actually get off my backside and DO it.

And thank you for bringing this up. Love a good rant. :-D

Peace y'all!

Answer 8

Capitalism system and private ownership is the main cause of Global warming?
So,
Capitalism = consumerism = global warming = climate chaos = destruction of planet !

Answer 9

Because big companies make sure misinformation circulates....Exxon-Mobile made sure of that. Our economies rely on people spending, if people understood what is really going on maybe they would do something about it and maybe governments and big companies would loose money! And maybe people wouldn't do anything because they don't want to loose they cosy little lives built on the exploitation of others.

Answer 10

The problem is big business. We could solve the problem with out to muc trouble but the powers that be would loose a lot of money or it would cost them a lot of money and they can't have that can they !