The category seems to have been taken over by flacks for corporations and flat earth deniers of scientific evidence. It's become almost impossible to have any kind of reasoned discussion here and I've noticed that fewer and fewer people even try. It's so reminiscent of the decades of insistence that cigarettes were good for us, that radiation is healthy, and that pollution is ok because, hey, nature uses chemicals too! Should we just give up and turn it over to the medieval thinkers and agents of corporate greed?
2007-09-07 08:27:30 · 13 answers · asked by Candy 5 in Environment ➔ Other - Environment
Yes, it's frustrating, isn't it? I rarely bother to answer questions here anymore. Seems more like a Baptist church than a science forum sometimes. But the examples you mention are reason to hope. Despite the best efforts of Madison Avenue, nobody believes anymore that smoking, radiation or pollution are good for you. All of them are regulated to some extent by the government. Change is hard, and slow to come, but it does happen. The American people are smart, and they do catch on eventually. Hang in there. Keep asking and answering questions, using the best scientific evidence. Be patient with the skeptics. We need them to keep us honest and make sure we have our facts straight.
2007-09-07 08:41:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
They're just hecklers like Hitler used to send to his opponents political event. They serve the same function. It's consistent with who they are and what they believe.
Global Warming is a conclusion drawn by generations of scientists over the last hundred years. It has no Nationality, race, economic class or political party.
The Skeptics and Deniers are a political movement that began in the late 1970's but had no credibility until Bush adopted it in 2000. It has the same relationship to weather science as Creationism has to Geology and Biology. It's shameless pandering to his perception of the views of the Evangelical Christians, who are part of his political base. Interestingly, the Evangelicals now call for action on Global Warming. He's also blocked stem cell research and other research this lobby group does not like.
The guy who founded the Skeptic/Denier movement was Lowell Ponte. He is the one and only scientist who predicted an ice age in the 1970's (a favcorite myth of the Skeptic/Deniers). He describes himself as a "National Socialist" (but "not a Nazi"). He was a rabid Red Baiter and anti-Communist politically, in the school of Joe McCarthy. He categorizes everyone who disagrees with him as "left wing" or "Commie". He ridicules Global Warming as the work of "Jewish Scientists, like Paul Erlich and Carl Sagan" who manufactured false data to get rich off of government grants. He started most of the more moronic myths about Global Warming including the ones you see posted on here. Besides Weather, he considers himself an expert on every other subject known to man, and puts out extensive disinformation on all of them.
President Bush has helped Ponte and others like him to organize an army of knuckle draggers to do his bidding and made the USA the laughingstock of educated society, and the shame of the civilized world.
2007-09-07 09:55:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've been on the site a few times, and have even posted a question about the You Tube video "Greening the Desert".
I noticed it evoked a strange response from one person, who thought I had posted because of "my agenda" or "my friends agendas", or "my double identity"???
I just posted because I love gardening, and happened on this video which I found unusual and inspirational!
Yes, this section is certainly full of controversy, and some of the people posting on it appear to be paranoid. However, we still need this category, because we are all in this together. Events will unfold on the earth to the point where everyone will see the facts.
2007-09-07 08:44:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Right after they shut down politics, religion, vegetarianism, and all the other places where the discussions are less than informed, enlightened, and fair. IE, all of Yahoo answers.
This is the Internet. The good side is that anyone can have their say, the bad side is that sometimes that say is manipulative or just plain dumb.
TG - come back, we need another voice of reason.
2007-09-07 09:35:21 · answer #4 · answered by Bob 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you're painting a bleaker picture than reality.
Certainly there are a few very vocal global warming deniers, but I think there are more knowledgeable people here who do a good job of spreading scientific information. I could give you a laundry list of names - Trevor, Bob, byderule, me, Keith, Parrot, Anders, etc. etc. etc.
It's certainly unfortunate that anybody can come here and pretend they know what they're talking about, saying that global warming is all a liberal hoax. But just examining the quality of the answers, it's easy to determine who knows what they're talking about.
2007-09-07 09:37:42 · answer #5 · answered by Dana1981 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It would help if all the political questions would go to the Politics section instead of here. What I think would help all of yahoo is to have "stickies" in each section that explain what types of questions should go there. The Environment section should be for Q&As about the environment and environmental science, not for posting one's opinion in the form of a question and shooting down the answers one by one.
2007-09-07 09:20:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
I understand how you feel, I too am finding it difficult to reach others. There are those of us who truly care and together we can difference for the better.
I have lots of info that I think you will find quite helpful and enlightening:
http://ecowellness.multiply.com/ for excellent inspirational info within my blog to help not only our world and its creatures, but to also open peoples hearts and minds to many amazing wonders that life has to offer. I also have lots of info in my blog to help fuel peoples imaginations to many possibilities that can be found only in the minds eye.
Along with lots of environmental info, amazing environmental pictures and videos (These videos show the beauty of this world and what life can be like if people take the time to appreciate life’s true beauty).
Let us all strive for a greener/brighter future by helping to create a solid foundation for future generations to build upon, so we can hand them a beautiful world, filled with never ending awe and wonders!!
Where peoples differences and uniqueness are accepted, where we all live as one, helping one another so that we can all play our own mysteriously beautiful melodies in the never ending, awe inspiring, song of life :-)
I truly have faith in humanity and believe that someday our lives and the world in which we live will truly be transformed for the better.
2007-09-07 09:11:35 · answer #7 · answered by Qweemawva Anzorla Qwartoon (Male) 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
NOOOOO! I just got back online after being offline for over a year. I really was shocked to see all the categories ! anyways, if they decide to shut it down, i would got get the chance to answer. I would be sad to see that go, since i love the environment.
2007-09-07 08:36:28 · answer #8 · answered by Dragonflygirl 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just because Yahoo Environment section got corrupt doesn't mean that you should stop trying to be the change you want to see in the world.
2007-09-07 08:35:36 · answer #9 · answered by fanny gardener 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I don't know really. People who say human activity doesn't have anything to do with global warming is like them saying the world is flat.
2007-09-07 15:13:19 · answer #10 · answered by ConsWentDownIn08! 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋