The Denial Of Climate Science

There is no doubt that most people in the scientific community have accepted the reality of human-caused global climate change (i.e., global warming). Over 95% of all scientists, and more than 98% of all climate scientists, know that this is true. The above graphic (from DESMOGBLOG.COM), shows this truth in a slightly different way -- by comparing the number of peer-reviewed scientific articles supporting the global climate change position (13,950) to the articles denying either the the change is happening or that it is caused by humans (24) since 1991. The articles denying human-caused global climate change make up only 0.0017% of the total articles on global warming -- an incredibly tiny number.

Of course this brings up the question -- why does such a large percentage of the U.S. population believe the 24 articles and deny the 13,950 articles? How can they reject such an overwhelming amount of evidence -- and in large enough numbers that the politicians can ignore global climate change with impunity? I believe there are two basic reasons -- money and religion.

It will come as no surprise that the giant oil, gas, and coal producers will deny this obvious scientific evidence. To admit it is true would mean admitting their own products are the primary cause of the problem (which they are). They have too much invested in the production and sale of carbon-based fossil fuels, and they're not about to give up any profits from them -- regardless of any effect they are having on the climate of this planet.

But they are not the only corporate entities with a stake in denying the science of climatology. The power companies have invested heavily in plants that use fossil fuels (especially the dirtiest fuel of all -- coal), and it would cost them money to change. They are currently making a few feeble efforts at using renewable and clean sources to produce electricity, but most of their production is still from fossil fuels, and they are still trying to build even more fossil fuel burning plants.

And other corporate entities of all kinds also use the fossil fuels to produce the goods they make. If they admit the truth, than they would have to admit they should be spending money to clean up the emissions their factories produce -- and they don't want to spend that money. For corporate America, today's profit margin is more important than leaving a sustainable future for generations to come. Money is more important than leaving a healthy planet for their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

To protect today's profits, the corporations have engaged in a massive propaganda campaign -- a campaign that makes it seem as though those 24 articles are somehow equal to the 13,950 articles. That propaganda campaign is aimed at creating doubt about the scientific community and its conclusions. And enough doubt has been created to let corporate-owned politicians off the hook for doing nothing.

But this propaganda could not have worked if there had not already been a fertile ground in which it could take root. And that fertile ground is fundamentalist christian religious beliefs. They have been preaching for many years that science is wrong, and scientists cannot be believed. They deny physics (saying the big bang and other theories of creation are not true). They deny geology (saying the Earth is only 6000 years old). And they deny biology (saying evolution is not true).

For people who already deny the reality of scientific evidence in several areas, it is very easy to extend that disbelief to one more area. In fact, by denying climate science they think this just bolsters their belief that science is flawed and cannot be believed -- thereby justifying their denial of other sciences.

The sad fact is that not only is the climate science real, but we are running out of time to stop, or at least minimize, the effects of man-made global climate change. And unless we change our views very soon, our great grandchildren will be struggling to survive in a world much worse than our own (if survival is even an option by then). And they will know that they inherited that awful world because of the greed and simple-minded fundamentalist religious beliefs of this generation.