why are otherwise intelligent people in denial about the danger of high carbon dioxide levels in the air?

Answer 1

Because:

(a) if they admitted it, they might have to actually do something.
(b) it's their way of showing their dislike for Al Gore.
(c) they blindly support corporatism and don't want companies to have to spend or lose money.
(d) they don't think for themselves and only listen to Rush & Hannity.

Answer 2

Well, as many people know, carbon dioxide and other green house gases seem to be causing the global warming effect. However, many people haven't heard of GLOBAL DIMMING, which is that the sun is dimming. This is caused by the fumes of airplane trails. Scientists know for a fact that this exists, one reason being that on the day of 9/11, when no planes were allowed to fly in the U.S., the change in temperature in that short time was more drastic than in all of human history. Because of global dimming, which is causing the earth to get cooler, it has actually slowed down the effects of global warming. So, in some ways, carbon dioxide is a harmful gas, because it is causing global warming, but it is also good because global warming and global dimming are canceling each other out, but eather one could become a VERY serious problem in the future

Answer 3

I don't think it's denial, I think it's because the concrete evidence hasn't been given.
I'm not saying the evidence doesn't exist, I'm just saying it hasn't been communicated. All I hear is CO2 levels are higher than ever and CO2 is a greenhouse gas that traps heat and that is why the earth is warming up and it's going to keep getting warmer and have disastrous effects and it's because of man's activities and a whole bunch of scientists agree about that.
This all may be true, I don't know. But I still have a lot of unanswered questions that need to be answered before I'll convert.
1) How much CO2 is emitted by man each year?
2) What is the mechanism by which CO2 traps heat and how does it trap more heat than O2, which I assume it is replacing (I'm talking specific, demonstrable chemistry and physics here)?
3) How do you know CO2 is the main or a major cause of warming? I hear that water vapor is much more effective greenhouse gas; maybe widespread irrigation causes more water to evaporate, in which case farming, gardening, and lawn watering would be the main cause of warming.
4) What about paving roads with black top? Cities are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas because of it and it retains a lot of heat.
5)What about the sun? Is it burning hotter right now?
6) What about all the windows on cars and buildings that really act as little "greenhouses"? Could they be part of the problem?
7) What about all the machines all over the world that are running every day and generating extra heat (cars, your computer, your lights, air conditioning, heaters, etc)? None of these things existed 200 years ago. That's a lot of heat being put into our atmosphere that wasn't being put in before. Could that be the problem?
8) How do you know this isn't just a short term weather cycle?
9) Even if CO2 is the main major cause, can we really do anything about it? The chinese are opening a coal burning power plant every 3 days (if I have my facts right). How could we possibly offset that, let alone reversing CO2 trends?
10) Not a question but a true statement. Correlation does not necessarily mean causation. For example, I remember hearing that when the AFC wins the Superbowl in a presidential election year, the Democrat (or could have been Republican, I don't remember) wins the presidential election. There's a correlation, but that doesn't mean the AFC victory is causing a Democratic victory.
In the same way CO2 levels correlated with rising average world temps doesn't mean one is causing the other (it could be, but it's not necessarily so).
I'm willing to be convinced...but still too many un answered questions to start freaking out.

Answer 4

Oh, I don't believe we're totally in denial; we know it's there. But besides controlling emissions, what else can we do? I don't think the new type of light bulbs does anything, do you?

However, if they keep cutting down trees, especially in the rain forests, there won't be anything to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. And don't let those stupid idiot scientists kid you. It's always been a FACT that trees give off oxygen. Now all of a sudden they give off emissions of toxicity. These guys are so full of it. Years ago, when they were cutting the trees in the rain-forests, they did nothing but complain that we were losing our oxygen suppliers...now the trees have become hazardous. That's a CROCK and don't let them make you believe it...okay?

Answer 5

Seventy million tons of greenhouse gas DAILY into the atmosphere is nothing to sneeze at.

We are screwing ourselves over for a buck.
Shooting ourselves in the herd.
Stepping on our own ducks.
Cutting off our nose to spite our finch.
Kicking ourselves in the asparagus beetle.

For the almighty dollar we're ruining it for everybody and everything, and people who deny it are three fries short of a Happy Meal.
Have a nice day.

Answer 6

Let's see: You breathe out CO2, plants breathe it in.

So you stop breathing.

If you stop breathing there will be no trees left for the bleeding hearts to protect.

Have you stopped yet?

Answer 7

Though intelligent in one sense, they are not leaders but followers and just repeat what their leaders say--sad state of affairs.

Answer 8

Because it's not......you just made that up. You have no proof.