Jim Baen's Universe

Nonfiction articles

Why Do So Many People Resist the Idea of Global Warming?

Written by Stephen Euin Cobb

I think I have the answer.

During the last two years, I’ve interviewed many people from many walks of life for my show The Future And You. In these interviews global warming is a topic that pops up frequently. Roughly half of my guests have a strong opinion about it, either agreeing that its existence is a forgone conclusion or disagreeing with its existence on the grounds that it is a fad, or hype or even an outright hoax.

Many of those who accept the theory of global warming tell me that those who refuse to accept it are self-serving business people who care more about their personal wealth than about the future of our earth.

While this is a claim I've heard from many mouths, some of them quite learned, my perception is that it says more about the biases of the claimants than about the resisters, since most of the people who resist the idea of global warming are not rich. Instead of having businesses, they have jobs just like everyone else.

When pointing this out to believers the most popular response I get is: "Well, then the rich business people must have them all fooled." Which again says more about the perceptions of the claimants than about the resisters, since what they are trying to say without voicing it openly is that most people are sufficiently ignorant that they will believe anything they are told as long as they are told it by rich business people.

Granted, I like to think I’m pretty darned smart, but I absolutely refuse to believe that everyone else is stupid. Not because I find such an elitist argument to be unpalatable—I’ve been forced by solid evidence to swallow uglier and more painful concepts than that—it’s that I don’t think it’s accurate.

But if universal gullibility is not the source of the resistance, what is? Clearly the resistance is real; and for it to be so powerful and so pervasive it must come from something important.

In order to discover its source, I have examined my own resistance to the idea of global warming. A resistance so rigid it took fourteen months to reverse; a process which was completed only this year and never would have happened at all had I not interviewed many people from many walks of life for my show. As much as I hate climbing aboard other people's bandwagons, I am now a convert. I think I dislike being in this camp even more than I dislike my newfound awareness that global warming is real. However, as I mentioned, this gives me a unique opportunity for self-analysis.

Through careful examination, I feel I have located the primary source of my resistance. If I am correct, most of my resistance I acquired over a period of decades from experiences unrelated to global warming.

In the course of my half century on this planet, I have seen many ideas grow so popular with the general public that they dominated the popular media. Most of these ideas had no basis in science, and some contradicted scientific principals with joyous abandon. This however had no effect in slowing their popularity. If anything, being contrary to science seemed to work in their favor.

The popularity of each of these ideas grew not because they were accurate or contained any particular merit, but because they were so easily used as a vehicle to satisfy three of the most basic, and therefore most powerful, human desires: (1) money, (2) fame and (3) acceptance.

How were they used for this?

(1) Money. An incalculable amount of wealth was amassed by thousands who wrote books, articles, gave speeches and lectures, and taught classes about the idea.

(2) Fame. It was easy to get on TV if one claimed the idea was true.

(3) Acceptance. Believing was required in order to be part of the "in" crowd.

Some of the easiest and most obvious examples of such ideas can be plucked from the smorgasbord of paranormal beliefs of the last few decades—and a bountiful harvest it is: ESP, biorhythms, pyramid power, ancient astronauts, crop circles, healing crystals, the Bermuda Triangle, UFO’s, astrology and every possible incarnation (or reincarnation, if you prefer) of spiritualism.

Describing these examples in detail is, of course, unnecessary. If you’ve been aware of the world long enough to see them you know precisely what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, no amount of explanation will be sufficient to clue you in as to the peculiarities of the feedback loop we call the modern media.

My own response to seeing the rise and sometimes fall of these examples was not unique. Many who have watched these ideas come and go have noticed the similarities of how they rose through the media to become overwhelmingly popular. And having noticed these similarities have become skeptical of new ideas which follow the same path of exponential growth.

It is an unfortunate coincidence that the idea we call global warming has followed this exact path. And to make sure you are clear on this I'm going to repeat each of the basic human desires I mentioned earlier but with the words "global warming" inserted in the description.

(1) Money. It is unfortunate that there has been so much money to be made in writing books and articles which support the idea of global warming because that makes each of the writer's motivations appear suspicious. It is also unfortunate that audiences will pay money to hear speeches and lectures and seminars supporting the idea of global warming because that makes the speaker's motivations appear suspicious.

(2) Fame. It is unfortunate that it has been so easy to get on TV by supporting the idea of global warming because that makes the motivations of those on TV appear suspicious.

(3) And it is most unfortunate of all that believing in global warming is now required in order to be part of the "in" crowd because that makes every believer’s motivations appear suspicious.

Mind you, none of these unfortunate things can change whether or not global warming is real. None of them have any bearing upon reality. They can only affect our perceptions of reality. But since all the decisions we make and all the actions we take hinge on our perceptions, it is our perceptions that control our future.

And it is grossly unfortunate that there have been so many reasons to be skeptical of something so well documented scientifically and so crucial to the long term stability of our civilization.

**** 

You can learn more about Stephen Euin Cobb here or here.

Or learn more about The Future And You here, or here or even here.

****