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Americans’ climate change concerns surge to record levels, poll shows

24 points by codermobile 8y ago

vkou 8y ago
I wouldn't be particularly comforted by this. >70% of Americans believe that the healthcare system in the US is broken, and is in need of dire reform, but the only reform we've seen, and are likely to continue to see is rearranging deck chairs. Yes, Obamacare is a terrible policy, that replaced an even worse policy. No, there is no working alternative even being contemplated. Edit: This is not a call to despair, or nihilism - just a need to recognize that after getting >50% public opinion on your side, there are still years and decades of hard, shitty, political work, that need to happen.
- sudofail 8y ago
  Sorry but this is a false equivalence argument. American's belief on healthcare has nothing to do with their beliefs on climate change.
  - vkou 8y ago
    No, but it is a great example of a situation, where: 1. Everyone knows things are broken. 2. Things can only be fixed by collective/government action. 3. The government could take action - but very explicitly, refuses to take action. (Because there are too many monied interests at stake.)
    - Gibbon1 8y ago
      In the US, politicians suffer from learned helplessness.
      - vkou 8y ago
        No, they don't. They will happily spend six years passing the same pointless resolution about how the President is a bad, bad, bad man, or run seven different Benghazi committes, all of which produce the same outcome. But ask them to do something that benefits the public, at the expense of industry, and you'll hear crickets.
        Gibbon1 8y ago
        You just gave an example of that. When it comes to actually doing anything substantive they have a spaz and start flinging poo. Fix the student loan crisis, can't do it. Reign in Wall Street and it's captive Federal Reserve, can't do it. Implement a working health care system, can't do it. Stop US industries from offshoring real industries? Can't do it. Ad nauseum.
WhompingWindows 8y ago
"A stark political divide on the science still exists, however: while 86% of Democrats say climate change is happening, just 52% of Republicans concur." As time goes on, since Republicans are the older party and Democrats the younger, we should see concerns rising ever-more as demographics shift, irregardless of the worsening climate catastrophe we find ourselves in. Even if Democrats are concerned, how much more are they willing to do? Washington state voted down its carbon tax initiative twice. America's emissions are rising, transport emissions are rising, I doubt average Democrats do that much to tackle their own emissions. Most people will stay "concerned" while they eat their burgers and drive their inefficient vehicles alone and then fly around the world for vacation.
- hirundo 8y ago
  > America's emissions are rising Total CO2 emissions in the U.S. are on a downward trend. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports 2017 annual emissions were the lowest since 1993. The peek was in 2007, before the recession. Emissions continued to decline as the economy recovered. https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/browser/index.php?tbl=T12.01#/?f=A&start=1973&end=2017&charted=0-1-13 https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/browser/index.php?tbl=T...

24 points by codermobile 8y ago

vkou 8y ago

I wouldn't be particularly comforted by this. >70% of Americans believe that the healthcare system in the US is broken, and is in need of dire reform, but the only reform we've seen, and are likely to continue to see is rearranging deck chairs. Yes, Obamacare is a terrible policy, that replaced an even worse policy. No, there is no working alternative even being contemplated. Edit: This is not a call to despair, or nihilism - just a need to recognize that after getting >50% public opinion on your side, there are still years and decades of hard, shitty, political work, that need to happen.

sudofail 8y ago
Sorry but this is a false equivalence argument. American's belief on healthcare has nothing to do with their beliefs on climate change.
- vkou 8y ago
  No, but it is a great example of a situation, where: 1. Everyone knows things are broken. 2. Things can only be fixed by collective/government action. 3. The government could take action - but very explicitly, refuses to take action. (Because there are too many monied interests at stake.)
  - Gibbon1 8y ago
    In the US, politicians suffer from learned helplessness.
    - vkou 8y ago
      No, they don't. They will happily spend six years passing the same pointless resolution about how the President is a bad, bad, bad man, or run seven different Benghazi committes, all of which produce the same outcome. But ask them to do something that benefits the public, at the expense of industry, and you'll hear crickets.
      - Gibbon1 8y ago
        You just gave an example of that. When it comes to actually doing anything substantive they have a spaz and start flinging poo. Fix the student loan crisis, can't do it. Reign in Wall Street and it's captive Federal Reserve, can't do it. Implement a working health care system, can't do it. Stop US industries from offshoring real industries? Can't do it. Ad nauseum.

WhompingWindows 8y ago

"A stark political divide on the science still exists, however: while 86% of Democrats say climate change is happening, just 52% of Republicans concur." As time goes on, since Republicans are the older party and Democrats the younger, we should see concerns rising ever-more as demographics shift, irregardless of the worsening climate catastrophe we find ourselves in. Even if Democrats are concerned, how much more are they willing to do? Washington state voted down its carbon tax initiative twice. America's emissions are rising, transport emissions are rising, I doubt average Democrats do that much to tackle their own emissions. Most people will stay "concerned" while they eat their burgers and drive their inefficient vehicles alone and then fly around the world for vacation.

hirundo 8y ago
> America's emissions are rising Total CO2 emissions in the U.S. are on a downward trend. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports 2017 annual emissions were the lowest since 1993. The peek was in 2007, before the recession. Emissions continued to decline as the economy recovered. https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/browser/index.php?tbl=T12.01#/?f=A&start=1973&end=2017&charted=0-1-13 https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/browser/index.php?tbl=T...