Re: [asa] Why the opposition to global warming

We've discussed this before, but I think you need to understand the context
of the environmental movement to answer this question. The environmental
movement has made many doomsday predictions that have failed to materialize,
the most notorious involving population control. Coupled with those
predictions, some leaders in the environmental movement have operated from a
neo-pantheistic worldview and have made suggestions that smack of
totalitarianism -- again, population control being the most notorious
example. And, as to warming in particular, the most prominent policy
proposal, the Kyoto treaty, represents a massively costly global regulatory
regime that impinges on state sovereignty and voter oversight -- thereby
weakining some basic building blocks of democratic governance.

So, among conservatives of any stripe -- not just fundamentalist religious
conservatives, but also more serious economic and libertarian conservatives
-- there is a deep suspicion of *any *suggestion that the world is facing an
immanent, massive crisis that can be addressed only through world-wide
regulation. Personally, I think at least some of that skepticism is a good
thing, even if (as I believe) there is a very real problem that needs to be
addressed in global warming. We need to find ways to address this problem
without sacrificing freedom and liberty, and the libertarian skeptical
voices at least remind us of that.

On 2/3/07, Dave Wallace <wdwllace@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
> On your blog, Randy you ask "Why the opposition to global warming".
> Late yesterday and again this morning the online version of the National
> Post leads off with the headline
>
> The real deal?
> Against the grain: Some scientists deny global warming exists.
>
> With the experts on climate change weighing in, the Post talks to
> scientists who go against conventional...
>
> Further down they have:
> # Global warming likely caused by humans
> # Video: Suzuki reacts to climate report
>
> http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/index.html
>
> The National IMHO is Canada's best paper which is not saying a lot. We
> used to have much better news papers, however, they have gone down hill
> in the last ten to twenty years. Too many do not seem to be able to
> tell the difference between news and editorials.
>
> The ten part series they write starts out at:
>
> http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=c6a32614-f906-4597-993d-f181196a6d71&k=0
>
> If people read just the headlines let alone some of the lead articles
> and the above series it appears that climate warming is not well
> supported, at least the human causation factor. David Suzuki might
> convince people otherwise, however, some people will say that if Suzuki
> thinks global warming is real then it must be at best marginal or even a
> hoax. IMHO he has cried wulf too many times.
>
> Dave
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
> "unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
>

-- 
David W. Opderbeck
Web:  http://www.davidopderbeck.com
Blog:  http://www.davidopderbeck.com/throughaglass.html
MySpace (Music):  http://www.myspace.com/davidbecke
To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.