Can only Republicans help Republicans on climate change?
By Stephen Stromberg (The Washington Post) - February 25, 2015
On a Tuesday conference call, climate policy champion Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) predicted that the toxic politics of global warming will change “because of the public’s growing awareness” of the issue. Many people who want action on climate change share the same hope.
But a new Yale University study suggests that knowing more about climate science doesn’t necessarily make people more willing to accept the scientific consensus. In fact, in a survey of 2,000 people, Yale researchers found that those who did the best on climate-science knowledge tests were also the most polarized on whether humans are warming the planet.
Lead researcher Dan Kahan explained the results: “Positions on climate change have become symbols of whose side you are on in a cultural conflict divorced from science.”
“Those whose cultural commitments predispose them to be concerned about climate change become even more so as their level of science comprehension increases,” the study reads. “Those whose commitments predispose them to be less concerned become all the more skeptical.”
Kahan’s solution is not to stop talking about the science, but to stop talking about the science the way advocates have been — for example, by repeating the fact that nearly all scientists agree that humans are to blame. “We need even more research on how to communicate climate science effectively so people can make informed individual and collective decisions,” he said.
A more useful option than simply doing more research is for Republican politicians who know better to start behaving more responsibly. Opposing even the simplest, most market-oriented climate policies has to stop being a signifier of conservative tribal allegiance. But it will be very tough for those outside the GOP tribe — independent scientists, climate activists, Democrats — to fight the cultural politics that have made the climate debate intractable. Their efforts might even deepen the divide.
There are plenty of national Republican leaders who appreciate the risks of unabated greenhouse emissions — but not enough for them to make climate policy a public priority, especially lately. They are the ones best positioned to create space on the GOP side for dealing with greenhouse emissions, perhaps by focusing less on whether to do something and more on what to do — less on the interminable rhetorical wars and more on offering workmanlike policy that responds to climate risks.
Bob Inglis, a former GOP congressman from South Carolina, has been trying gamely to sway Republicans on climate policy for several years in a language that doesn’t alienate them, running republicEn, a group that aims to build “a community of energy optimists and climate realists changing the conversation about climate change.”
“Do you want to build a new national vision of prosperity, free markets and clean air?” the group’s Web site asks.
George P. Shultz, one of the most decorated members of Ronald Reagan’s cabinet, has also been pressing Republicans to consider market-based climate policies, arguing for “a level playing field” in the energy business. “We should seek out the many forms of subsidy that run through the entire energy enterprise and eliminate them,” he wrote in a 2013 Wall Street Journal Op-ed.
But Inglis and Shultz can’t be the only ones. They need more help from Republicans still in office. In other words, Republicans need a Nixon opening China moment — or, probably, many such moments — on global warming. Otherwise, piling up yet more scientific evidence might not matter much, and the GOP will continue favoring reaction over action, tantrum-throwing over governing, recklessness over prudence, on an issue of signal importance to future generations.
On Mar 1, 2015, at 4:23 PM, James Kotcon jkotcon@gmail.com wrote:
This is a pretty important article for those of us trying to engage our neighbors and communities on climate change. We have a tendency to think of our opponents as scientifically challenged (to put it mildly), but these data show that opponents of climate action are at least as knowledgeable of what climate scientists think as climate action supporters. After 20+ years of hearing about it, they know the scientific arguments, but the problem is that they view it through the lens of protecting their values and culture. Many opponents view this as an issue of Big Government taking away their communities. The author cites the interesting example of South Florida, where local groups developed a local action plan to protect against rising sea levels. When communities come together to work out how to solve local problems, even the Republicans want to use sound science.
I suggest we need to use this concept to develop plans for climate action in West Virginia that avoid debates over global issues. Instead, our focus needs to be on how West Virginia communities can adapt to the changes ahead. The vast majority of West Virginians both support the coal industry, and know that it is declining. The vast majority also pay electric bills, and know that electric rates are going up. And almost all political leaders know that the state budget will face a really big hole as coal severance taxes decline. If we can get a conversation going about solutions to these problems, instead of getting hung up on an "Us versus Them" mentality, we may get some traction.
Whaddya Tink?
Jim Kotcon
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson pjgrunt@gmail.com Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 8:17 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming To: Resilient Habitats Listserve CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS@lists.sierraclub.org, Coal Alerts coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org
Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:38 AM PST Deep public divisions over climate change are unrelated to differences in how well ordinary citizens understand scientific evidence on global warming. Indeed, members of the public who score the highest on a climate-science literacy test are the most politically polarized on whether human activity is causing global temperatures to rise.
-- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361
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