It's Getting Hot in Here

Texas is silly. The chairman of the board claimed that "Conservatives like me think the evidence (for human contributions to global warming) is a bunch of hooey." My first reaction is did he just use the phrase 'bunch of hooey'? My second reaction is that the evidence is actually quite strongly in support of climate change due to human contributions. Another argument people will sometimes use is that there is no scientific consensus on the issue. That's just not true. My third reaction is to question the generality that rejecting climate change is a conservative thing. The Pew Research Center somewhat substantiates that claim. I suppose being on a college campus gives me a fairly narrow idea of public opinion, so I was a little surprised at the findings. Fewer than half of Americans find global warming to be a serious problem. And it is. Now I suppose that number was a lot lower even a few years ago so at least we are trending in the right direction.

I think my real question though is why. Why are people opposed to this concept? I don't think it raises any theological concerns. It might raise some minor moral concerns (like I should recycle, conserve water, etc). I can imagine certain industries choosing not to believe it since it would force tighter environmental restrictions and thus cut profits. Are these industries just that good at influencing public opinion?

One other note. I don't particularly care about the planet earth. The planet will survive just fine. It's the people that will have problems. My concern for the environment is not me being an environmentalist, it's me being a humanitarian.