Pat Dollard | Young Americans

You know, I used to think England had to catch up to us … But of late I am finding they are ahead of the game on a few things we are either carelessly falling into or being dragged by the nose into … Such as ’socialized medicine or universal healthcare’ … giving away waaaay too many of our rights to Parliament (Congress) via gun control and any other number of crippling ‘government regulations’ that have brought us, inevitably, to our current energy crisis … Being suckered into more and more nanny-state government programs that they lead us to believe are out of the goodness of the government’s heart, but in all reality, comes from the depths of our own pockets.

Anyhow, the bandwagon on the climate change E-Ticket ride is becoming a bit vacant, as people are finally using their heads … but more so out of boredom on the subject in the purveyors’ and provocateurs’ constant and relentless pounding and pounding of it (Hell, Al Gore couldn’t even publicly endorse Hussein without turning it all into a global warming fire and brimstone sermon) … sick of hearing every damn thing that happens on the face of the planet is due to global warming or, if the snow storm fits, climate change … and now, there is an awakening to the fact that it’s all about … more damn taxes … DUH!!!

Most Britons Doubt Cause Of Climate Change

by Juliette Jowit - GuardianUK

The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.

The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The findings come just before the release of the government’s long-awaited renewable energy strategy, which aims to cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent over the next 12 years.

The poll, by Ipsos MORI, found widespread contradictions, with some people saying politicians were not doing enough to tackle the problem, even though they were cynical about government attempts to impose regulations or raise taxes. In a sign of the enormous task ahead for those pushing for drastic cuts to carbon emissions, many people said they did not want to restrict their lifestyles and only a small minority believe they need to make ’significant and radical’ changes such as driving and flying less.

‘It’s disappointing and the government will be really worried,’ said Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the government’s Sustainable Development Commission. ‘They [politicians] need the context in which they’re developing new policies to be a lot stronger and more positive. Otherwise the potential for backlash and unpopularity is considerable.’

There is growing concern that an economic depression and rising fuel and food prices are denting public interest in environmental issues. Some environmentalists blame the public’s doubts on last year’s Channel 4 documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle, and on recent books, including one by Lord Lawson, the former Chancellor, that question the consensus on climate change.

However Professor Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist, said politicians and campaigners were to blame for over-simplifying the problem by only publicising evidence to support the case. ‘Things that we do know - like humans do cause climate change - are being put in doubt,’ said Lomborg. ‘If you’re saying, “We’re not going to tell you the whole truth, but we’re going to ask you to pay up a lot of money,” people are going to be unsure.’

In response to the poll’s findings, the Department for the Environment issued a statement: ‘The IPCC… concluded the scientific evidence for climate change is clear and it is down to human activities. It is already affecting people’s lives - and the impact will be much greater if we don’t act now.’

Ipsos MORI polled 1,039 adults and found that six out of 10 agreed that ‘many scientific experts still question if humans are contributing to climate change’, and that four out of 10 ’sometimes think climate change might not be as bad as people say’. In both cases, another 20 per cent were not convinced either way. Despite this, three quarters still professed to be concerned about climate change.

Those most worried were more likely to have a degree, be in social classes A or B, have a higher income, said Phil Downing, Ipsos MORI’s head of environmental research.

‘People are broadly concerned, but not entirely convinced,’ said Downing. ‘Despite many attempts to broaden the environment movement, it doesn’t seem to have become fully embedded as a mainstream concern,’ he said.

More than half of those polled did not have confidence in international or British political leaders to tackle climate change, but only just over a quarter think it’s too late to stop it. Two thirds want the government to do more but nearly as many said they were cynical about government policies such as green taxes, which they see as ’stealth’ taxes.

About this articleClose This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday June 22 2008 on p1 of the News section. It was last updated at 00:04 on June 22 2008.