Now that we have finished AP testing and all the course material, I thought I’d post about a current issue that has sparked controversy: climate change.
The most unusual element of the climate change debate is the fact that there is a reasonably clear consensus surrounding the scientific aspects of the issue. According to a survey done by NASA, 97% of scientists agree that in the last few years rapid increases in temperature have occurred, and that the last decade has been the warmest of them all. NASA states that these scientists agree that these surges in temperature are caused by human activities.
Although these statistics may seem unavoidable, a survey lead by Huffington Post found that climate change was the second-most divisive issue between Democrats and Republicans after opinions on Obama himself. With a 53 percentage point difference, climate change ranks above gun control (44 point gap) and the legalization of abortion (35 point gap). In the face of clear scientific facts, society seems unable to agree on the issue, making climate change more of a social and cultural issue than anything else. Now, acknowledging climate change and accepting the science is associated with liberal views, while the number of Republicans who recognize climate change has been shrinking. On both sides of the debate, people seem to feel that their values are threatened by the opposing views.
What do you think about climate change? Is it for real?
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/21/republicans-climate-chang_n_5368134.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
I would say that it's pretty obvious that climate change exists, but one of the important things to note is that we live in a pretty liberal area, and we don't always see most of the Republican majority denying climate change. Along those same lines, I remember seeing this video a while back of a Georgia Congressman from the Government Committee on Science and Technology giving a somewhat laughable speech on how evolution is a "lie from the pit of hell" (here's the link if you guys want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBy3MbP4WDo) I guess it's just interesting to see how fundamentally disparate different groups of people can be, which is obviously a big setback to democracy.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree that it seems rather obvious that climate change is occurring, and find it hard to understand the points of view of people who do not believe it exists. While I don't think it is wise or reasonable to ignore factual evidence of climate change, I can understand if people have different ideas of how to respond to it. Some people may not be concerned, whether it be because they don't think it will effect them, or possibly because they don't see it as a large issue. Other people may be very concerned by it, and become very activist in trying to reverse the harmful effects humans have wrought on the environment. I think that a mixed reaction is understandable and to be expected, but I find it a little bit naive of people to claim that climate change is not occurring.
ReplyDeleteI agree that climate change is a major issue that must be addressed by politicians Whether you are a republican or democrat, everyone must talk about the issue of climate change and it should not be avoided. I'm not very surprised that it is one of the most debated topics in politics because actions must start quickly in order to stop this climate change and to make sure it does not get any worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone who has commented in that I personally believe it is an issue, and an issue that must be addressed immediately. It's also important to note that it doesn't seem as if the majority of Republicans are anti/don't believe in climate change, it seems to be a smaller group of people. Yale conducted a survey of 726 adults who identified as either Republican or Republican leaning, and 52% of them said they believed in climate change. Perhaps their is a misconception that this is the majority Republican opinion. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteSource:
http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/article/republican-views-on-climate-change
I think that there has not been a wide-scale government intervention on behalf of climate change because the issue seems so far off. Since each generation sees climate change as a problem that will not affect them, they push it off telling the next generation to solve it. In order for us to actually act, we need to see an immediate change here at home. It is like what happened in WWII. The US believed that Pacific and Atlantic Oceans would protect them, but when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the US rallied its forces and charged onto the fray.
ReplyDeleteBecause climate change is a worldwide factor that affects everyone, I think that the Republicans and Democrats should set aside their differences for the betterment of the world so that America as a whole can agree on this issue and set a standard for the rest of the world. They should take action and try and solve the problem before it gets worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments made so far and I believe the reason why there is such a wide gap between the republicans and the democrats regarding this issue is due to the environmental-related policies that would have to be made if accepting that there is a climate change. I hope that politicians don't play politics with climate change since it's evident all over the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/us/politics/tom-steyer-hopes-nextgen-climate-gets-voters-to-consider-environment.html?_r=0