Why do people still look at global warming as a political thing?

Question

this is not a political argument. people think that since al gore made a movie, then its a liberal movement. therefore if you are a conservative, you must reject global warming and do nothing about it. do you people not understand that EVERYBODY benefits if we do something to cut down on emissions? cleaning up our emissions means less smog in our cities. cutting down on power usage SAVES YOU MONEY! developing alternative fuel for cars reduces our dependency on foreign oil (something republicans have long pushed for.) less emissions=less pollution=cleaner air. are you really willing to just sit back and do nothing just because a liberal made a movie about it? even if global warming is false, why not take advantage of all the other benefits that changing our lifestyles will give us?

please read the whole question. im not asking if you believe in global warming, im not asking if you belief al gore. im simply asking why dont we make some changes, regardless of the truth about global warming, to gain some other benefits?

Answer 1

Theres only one problem with your logic. You think that EVERYBODY benefits from cutting down on emissions.

While this is technically true, the people on the right who are fighting against regulations or any other steps towards correcting global warming are more concerned about their profit margins than they are with the environment or anything else for that matter.

Al Gore took up the fight, and made it somewhat more political, and while there are businessmen on both sides of the political fence, the ones on the right tend to be considerably more ethically challenged when it comes to their responsibilities to the environment and how their industry affects it.

Answer 2

It is a political football.
There as so many flaws in gores show ......
Here's just one:
Many of Gore's conclusions are based on the "Hockey Stick" that shows near constant global temperatures for 1,000 years with a sharp increase in temperature from 1900 onward. The record Gore chooses in the film completely wipes out the Medieval Warm Period of 1,000 years ago and Little Ice Age that started 500 years ago and ended just over 100 years ago. There is evidence from throughout the world that these climate episodes existed, but on Gore's Hockey Stick, they become nothing more than insignificant fluctuations.

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Answer 3

It IS a political argument. The scientific argument is whether we're causing the present warming trend, and while a number of scientists suspect that we're one of the causes, there's no hard proof of this. The political argument is what's the burden of proof that must be met before the government can step in and curtail otherwise free, productive activity.

The notion that meeting Kyoto would involve cost SAVINGS is laughable - if that were true, you wouldn't need government involvement, believe me businesses do everything they can to cut costs.

And that's what brings about the political argument. To meet Kyoto there will have to be either outright bans on certain uses of energy, such as brown-outs, or high taxes placed on consumption of energy - essentially tripling your electric bill and doubling the price of your commute. In a free society the state shouldn't be able to do this based on an unproven hypothesis.

Answer 4

It becomes political because some people believe that is all just a bunch of hype. Usually liberals believe in saving the environment, conservatives believe in maximizing profits. And consering might save you money, unless you are George Bush and own an oil company. Or you could be any Conservative Congressman and the oil companies will grease your palms for voting in their favor. So basically it is conservatives getting paid to not believe in global warming or not endorsing conserving energy.

Answer 5

So Boomrat is another one of those nonthinking people who can't see the forest for the trees. Or maybe s/he is an oil lobbyist and stands to profit from not believing that we humans are poisoning our own air, water etc....

Unfortunately, there are many out there like Boomrat. Perhaps they will wake up one day in a few years from now when the permafrost and the glaciers in Alaska are gone (along with the animals who can only live in that climate) and realize that this is not a political thing, it's a LIFE thing...

Answer 6

Show me the data the Scientific proof that Global Warming even exists. Enough said.

Answer 7

Because just like Politics, the Global warming thing is nothing but a bunch of lies. So both go hand in hand.

Answer 8

I actually agree with you on this. I'm all for conservation and for wise stewardship of the planet's resources. I just get tired of people screaming "crisis!" to set the stage for some sort of legislation forcing me to behave in a "green" manner. I can see a carbon-usage tax coming soon.

Answer 9

Maybe because it's liberal politicians who are pushing the argument. I have not seen any data showing increased CO2 levels. Without that, I remain unconvinced.

Answer 10

Do you understand that public policy is inherently a political thing?