Can anyone explain why conservatives are so against even acknowledging climate change may be happening and we (humans) may be playing an important role in it? I keep hearing it called “Global Warming Hoax” and other such horse-crap. They seem to be attracted to anyone or any theory that may suggest this is all part of a “natural cycle”, or caused by “solar cycles” or some such. Also, that global warming is some sort of scam by Democrats to funnel money into their pet projects.
ISTM it is an issue Liberals have been taking seriously for a long time and it is just bare-faced tribalism - they don’t want to acknowledge the other party may have been right about something. Conservatives always seem to be on the wrong side of history.
Asked and answered:
It’s a Democrat [sic] issue. Can’t support stuff like that.
Conservatives want things to not change.
Global warming is a massive change. But measures to prevent us from contributing any more to it also require massive change.
I think some people prefer to pretend it’s not happening.
Climate change may require government interference in the free market (carbon taxes, banning or restricting some things like fossil fuels, subsidizing others like alternative energy sources) but government interference in the free market is bad, therefore it would be better that climate change not exist, therefore it doesn’t.
It’s like their attitude towards cities: cities have always required bigger government than their individualist philosophy calls for (one-room schoolhouses, volunteer firefighters, country doctors making house calls and taking chickens and grain in payment, etc. won’t suffice)* but big government is bad so cities are bad. Society should conform to ideology, not ideology to society. However, cities have been around too long and have too much of an economic and cultural presence to simply pretend they don’t exist.
*Yes, I know that’s not how rural life is lived in the 21st Century in most areas. But the mythos of earlier eras persists as a hazy ideal, and cities did have these institutions first.
It could be that they have realized they can’t depend even upon a 6-3 conservative SCOTUS majority to not throw these measures out like last week’s fishwrappers.
“Boys, I know we’ve avoided this for as long as humanly possible…but we may have to start crafting actual policy.”
"NOOOOOOOO!"