Green Fatigue: Who Cares About Global Warming?

Posted By: majestic Feb 28, 2013

Dry river bed in CaliforniaApparently people are fed up with the challenges of stopping or at least slowing the global warming trend. Sam Masters reports that worldwide concerns about climate change have dropped dramatically since 2009, in the Independent:

Public concern about environmental issues including climate change has slumped to a 20-year low since the financial crisis, a global study reveals.

Fewer people now consider issues such as CO2 emissions, air and water pollution, animal species loss, and water shortages to be “very serious” than at any time in the last two decades, according to the poll of 22,812 people in 22 countries including Britain and the US.

Despite years of studies showing the impact of global warming on the planet, only 49 per cent of people now consider climate change a very serious issue – far fewer than at the beginning of the worldwide financial crisis in 2009.

Worries about climate change first dropped in industrialised nations but they have now also fallen in developing economies including Brazil and China, according to the survey by GlobeScan Radar.

The declining interest in climate change comes amid a backlash against costly green energy investments in an age of austerity. David Nussbaum, head of WWF UK, said “sustained pressure” was required from political leaders to combat climate change. He said it was only when “real indicators” of climate change came, such as floods and droughts, that public perceptions changed…

[continues in the Independent]

majestic

Majestic is gadfly emeritus.

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  • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

    That’s because its all bullshit guilt manipulation. Plus peoples opinions on it don’t really matter. Its not like if everyone gave a shit it would suddenly get cooler. The climate is not tinker bell.

    • Ittabena

      Agreed. I think it is a reaction to the attempt to lay guilt at the feet of the people rather than placing it with the Corporations who never have and still don’t give a shit. Folks can buy all the hybrid cars they want, that won’t stop oil companies from dumping sludge In South America, or Hydro-fraking, or playing fast and loose with coal fired power plants.

      It reminds me of how they tried to do the same thing with the banker’s bailout, remember? It was all the irresponsible home mortgagers who caused the financial crisis, never mind the revocation of the Glass-Steagal act.

      People know they did not all become Simon Bar Sinister, they just reacted to trends. Trends put in place by the real corporate villains. Our memory may be bad as a people, but it isn’t that bad.

      • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

        Yeah, the Bail out thing is a great analogy.

      • no_one

        It’s not the FAULT of, but it is where the power to change comes from. If no one gives a crap, no one’s going to reform anything. Industry isn’t going to regulate itself (as much as it claims it can effectively do so).

        • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

          are you sure you care enough about the polar bears? I don’t think you do. Once more with FEELING!

    • no_one

      Brushing your teeth is bullshit guilt manipulation. It’s not like if I started doing something about it now my rotten teeth would stop being rotten.

    • no_one

      Brushing your teeth is bullshit guilt manipulation. It’s not like if I started doing something about it now my rotten teeth would stop being rotten.

      • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

        good analogy, because when you brush your teeth you brush everyone elses teeth too.

      • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

        good analogy, because when you brush your teeth you brush everyone elses teeth too.

  • Andrew

    We’ve been so hypnotized by the elites’ shiny coins and walls of technology that we’ve forgotten that the environment has a greater effect on our food and comfort than the numbers in the elites’ financial computers.

  • emperorreagan

    If it’s not something people are willing to take to the streets for and threaten the stability of a nation, then politicians will always stay the course – consolidating power and wealth while doing little else worthwhile.

  • http://www.facebook.com/nickoli.volkoff Nickoli Mad Russian Volkoff

    Blizzards in Texas and Arizona kinda puts a damper on the whole concept I’m guessing

    • http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

      the warming and CO2 issue is a red herring among all the real environmental catastrophe’s. As soon as someone feels a little cold weather (IE Every single winter…) they say “Yup! the environment’s fine!” and move on with their day. Meanwhile, all of the environmental effects upon the land are wreaking havoc. Methinks we need to stop worrying about changing the heavens, and work on the real issues here on earth.

    • http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

      the warming and CO2 issue is a red herring among all the real environmental catastrophe’s. As soon as someone feels a little cold weather (IE Every single winter…) they say “Yup! the environment’s fine!” and move on with their day. Meanwhile, all of the environmental effects upon the land are wreaking havoc. Methinks we need to stop worrying about changing the heavens, and work on the real issues here on earth.

      • Kevin Leonard

        spot on.

      • ParanoidCoast

        Climate changes like it always has since the earth was formed. The real issue is about human behaviour. Especially how we all make ourselves vulnerable to change by doing stupid things like building houses on barrier islands and still burning things to make energy.

  • Kevin Leonard

    Meteorites are the new earth-cause du jour.

  • charlieprimero

    A better description for be “Fraud Discovery” as more people discover the fraudulent science behind the climate scam.

  • BuzzCoastin

    there was once a technologically advanced society Plato called Atlantis
    but despite it’s high level of sophistication
    it was suddenly and unexpectedly destroyed
    as were the societies that built:
    Machu Picchu, Göbekli Tepe & all the world’s pyramids, etc
    scattered across the ocean floor are innumerable cities of civilizations
    far more advanced than we have ever been
    only to fall back into the void from which they came
    so it goes

    • Monkey See Monkey Do

      Yeah but we’re different…

      • BuzzCoastin

        ya know
        just before it ended
        every civilization has said the same thing

        “People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.” Jebus H. Cripes

      • BuzzCoastin

        ya know
        just before it ended
        every civilization has said the same thing

        “People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.” Jebus H. Cripes

  • no_one

    “The declining interest in climate change comes amid a backlash against costly green energy investments in an age of austerity.”

    So what the article is saying is that environmental concerns can be reduced by austerity. While I’m sure the people in power know that, it’s nice for the little people to find that out as well. What’s the counter-move to that? (besides waiting until things are too horrible to ignore, and probably too late to fix.) Does anyone here know?

  • bobbiethejean

    A lot of the people who frequent this site are hilarious. They will believe the most ridiculous, unfounded, illogical conspiracy theories but when it comes to actual proven science? Nope. SHUN! SHUN the scientists who actually have the evidence to back up their claims! SHUN the people who spend their lives making my life easier, better, and safer! SHUN the people who actually know what they’re talking about! SHUN them SHUN THE SCIENTISTS! It’s absurd.

    • Kevin Leonard

      I find it “hilarious” that many of the frequenters are so selectively skeptical.

  • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

    I know your room mates step aunt’s neighbor. She is a compulsive liar. Don’t believe her.

  • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

    I’m not skeptical of Global warming I am skeptical of technocracy. I am skeptical of the “fixes” being proposed. There are sick fucks out there that have been dying to do things to try to control the weather. The way to manufacture consent to do that is to convince everyone it is broken and only they can fix it.