Is Global Warming Dead?

Most of the long time TAYers will remember the big global warming thread from a couple of years ago, where most everyone here supported (and lamented) the notion of man-made climate change.  Not entirely surprising of course given that we all depend so heavily on snow.  It seemed to me at the time that public opinion in general was moving strongly towards the belief that global warming was a major problem and something needed to be done about it.

Has all that changed?  Most opinion polls now show declining support in global warming issues.  HERE is a link to a senate hearing where OK Sen. Inhofe (a non-believer in global warming, to put it mildly) tells CA Sen. Boxer (a supporter of climate change legislation) "We won, you lost, get a life".

Why is this? Has the science become more murky?  Is it the economy?  Is it Obama?  Glenn Beck?

I'm truly confused and would love to hear what you guys think.

The world's oldest trees say it's getting warmer fast:
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf...mperatures_make.html  
"...environmental change unprecedented in millenia."

Lots of true-believer discussion & some dissenting comments at:
www.nationalparkstraveler.com/browse/Climate+Change

Why is this? Has the science become more murky?  Is it the economy?  Is it Obama?  Glenn Beck?

It's my impression that the scientific case for global warming has improved over the last few years. The climate monitoring data have become more copious and precise, and the modelers are getting a better idea of what they're doing.

I think climate got a big temporary boost in the US from Katrina and subsequent storms. The public eye has since moved on to other things. If what the modelers say is true, then climate will require intense human focus and collective behaviour over timescales of decades to avert a threat that we really can't sense. Humans aren't wired for that; it's going to be challenging.

I think "crisis fatique/ compassion fatigue " may have something to do with it, with the economy and all the discussion of healthcare and Afghanistan and Iraq and swine flu (not to mention associated reminders of nagging fears of ebola and worse) filling up people's capacity to be concerned. Check out the results from this Pew poll from October :



Interesting to see the precipitous drop in responses indicating belief that there is a serious problem, which correlate rather well with the timeframe for media reporting of the banking crisis and associated economic meltdown. As far as I've seen from vaguely following things like peer-reviewed science and statements by scientific societies and the like, there has been no corresponding shift in what scientists are saying - quite the contrary . The blogo-sprayo-sphere is another matter.

Anyone seen an international poll?

That'd be interesting.

I'd imagine significantly different results between U.S. and Western European opinions.

Listen we still have people saying evolution is bunk and that the world was formed 5000 years ago so I put no credence on the combined wisdom of the masses. As somebody once said , " never underestimate the stupidity of the general population ( me included)."

What is clear is that MEDIA is now > Science.
In the USA, as with most really important issues, global warming has become polarized around "party" platforms and no sensible conversation can take place between the pundits from either side.
As PNWBrit says, in much of the rest of the world, the issue is clearer.
Perception is reality in the US of A.