Growing Public Apathy on Climate Change Topic Worries Scientists

[NuclearKangaroo]

some sort of public campaign would help

 

[FogHornG36]

WHY DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT THIS THING YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER!? you must live on content fear of it worrying that the icecaps will all melt like they said they would for the last 20 years.

 

[Rodolphe Kourkenko]

People are bored or ignore the whole problem for several reasons. Politicals are unable to change anything or the crisis or perhaps they think a savior will come to spare mankind if you pray...

i think sometime about the people who inhabited the pacific's islands that are submerged for nearly five years. Yeah, no consequences... Of course... Until it's too late, as always.
but i've hope because mankind is building a new territory with a whole ecosystem (it's awesome in fact) in the middle of the pacific, a place that, for lack of ocean current, is a glassy sea. Yes, a new floating countrie, made with garbage...

 

[Cowabungaa]

They keep predicting DOOM DOOM DOOM, but nothing is happening. The first warnings said the sea level would have risen by 1 meter by now, obviously nothing has happened.

People are starting to ignore the bullshit.

Because science journalism is often quite terrible, and presenting the actual results in a proper, nuanced way is either too complicated for the general public or simply too dull.

After all, shouting about possible dramatically rising sea levels and sounds a lot more exciting than something like "A 0.4C rise in overall global temperature leads to a shift in dry and wet seasons that will reduce overall crop yields."

The former makes a good headline, but is a lot more speculative and long-term. The latter is, generally (don't quote me on the actual temperature I'm just making an example), a lot closer to the truth but sounds a lot less exciting, while still being a lot more dangerous and for plenty of people actual doom.

Thing is; just not so much for us. It doesn't sound or look so dramatic as a flooded New York or Amsterdam.

But seriously. What am I supposed to do beyond making sure my own personal lifestyle isn't contributing more than normal to the problem? I'm not going to go out and picket polluting manufacturing plants. I'm not going to uproot my family and spend my days in a tent. Beyond switching out the bulbs and making my home energy efficient to the point of having solar panels, what else is there? Nothing. If I were to see a bill that impacts it I'd vote in favor of measures that reduce our global impact. That's about all I can do. I already wrote my congress representatives and all I have to show for it is a lot of shitty spam from them come election time.

Consider my interest thoroughly waned. But I'm not sure my interest is necessary to maintain efficiency.

I'd actually be quite satisfied if most folks would be so responsible as you are, worst is how people think "What I do alone won't matter, so I'll do nothing." Which means that no one will do anything and nothing of significance will happen.

But you're still right that there's a limit to what the general public can do, thing is; public awareness is necessary to put it on the political agenda to get those bills made in the first place. Politicians are not going to run on causes no one cares about.

It is of course a shame that individual action seems to be so unrewarding, hence why people have to band together to make an impact. But if people stop caring they won't band together either.

In the end it's a screwed up situation with lots of vicious circles.

 

[gigastar]

Im of the opinion that we need a mass extinction event anyway.

 

[MCerberus]

Im of the opinion that we need a mass extinction event anyway.

Well then you'll be happy to know we're living one.


OT: Part of it is that it's been spun as part of a massive prisoner dilemma. Where if [your country] takes all the right steps, others will take economic advantage and the environment is still fucked. So therefore, the spin says keep on doing what you're doing.

What I think should be done is more micro-scale. If YOUR water supply is conserved YOU don't run out of water. If YOUR CITY goes green, YOU breath easier. Scale that up to the national level as well, where each country has their own "our environment is dying" issues.

 

[Erttheking]

That's the problem with the first world. Apathy. People just don't care about things that don't affect them directly. So long as we have food in our bellies and the power stays on, we're content.

As the saying goes. "Out of sight, out of mind"

 

[synobal]

Fox news screaming "its not real its a hoax by the Liberals!" isn't exactly helping either. Its okay though I'm not having kids and reducing my carbon footprint as best I can. So that is the best I can do.

What is the United States fascination with making scientific issues into political ones. I am assuming by your comment you believe in climate change and I just don't understand how media gets away with ignoring all the evidence. Over 99% of all peer reviewed publications in the area agree with the climate change theory.

Its not america its big money and corporations. Fox is the propaganda arm of the republican party the republican party is owned largely by big oil and other moneyed interests who see solar and clean energy as a threat and thus fox does propaganda that climate change is some big hoax.

 

[Zydrate]

Cracked.com's latest book mentioned that the public didn't really give two shits about the Moon landing other than a "Oh, okay, that happened".

We're kind of seeing that happen again.

 

[gigastar]

Im of the opinion that we need a mass extinction event anyway.

Well then you'll be happy to know we're living one.

I meant that humans needed a mass extinction event. But yeah, you got a point there.

 

[Crackerjacks]

I find it amusing that governments and scientists across the globe are growing more and more worried as extreme weather and funky climates start messing things up while the general public gets less and less concerned.

We just have to wait for it to hit America, then we'll get into gear... 4 years later when we stop arguing about it.

 

[Nimcha]

That's the problem with the first world. Apathy.

What an odd thing to say. People in the second and third world care more about it do you think? Or do they have other things to occupy themselves?

 

[Nimcha]

Im of the opinion that we need a mass extinction event anyway.

Well then you'll be happy to know we're living one.

I meant that humans needed a mass extinction event.

To what end? And why?

People are saying the oddest things in this thread.

 

[Erttheking]

That's the problem with the first world. Apathy.

What an odd thing to say. People in the second and third world care more about it do you think? Or do they have other things to occupy themselves?

I'd probably say that they either can't get the information that we can or that they are intentionally kept in the dark. Or, like you said, have other things to occupy themselves. A lot of people in third world countries have to focus on keeping themselves fed, so I can understand if they don't care too much about carbon emissions. Then again, they don't really contribute much to global warming in third world countries, so there's a reason they probably don't care about it that much.

 

[Nimcha]

That's the problem with the first world. Apathy.

What an odd thing to say. People in the second and third world care more about it do you think? Or do they have other things to occupy themselves?

I'd probably say that they either can't get the information that we can or that they are intentionally kept in the dark. Or, like you said, have other things to occupy themselves. A lot of people in third world countries have to focus on keeping themselves fed, so I can understand if they don't care too much about carbon emissions. Then again, they don't really contribute much to global warming in third world countries, so there's a reason they probably don't care about it that much.

Makes sense. Then why single out the 'first world'? Nobody cares, no matter where they live.

 

[Lightknight]

Short attention spans would actually make us renew our interest every few months we go without hearing about it.

No, not really. Unless you also have a short memory.

But seriously, don't ask what you're going to do if you then go out of your way to point out that you're not going to do anything. There's nothing you WILL do, so don't dress it up.

And what would you propose I do? I've got my own energy consumption in order and have done far more than average but there's really nothing left that isn't extreme. What more do you expect from the average Joe? What are you going to do? What are you doing? You blame the West's attention span but what are you expecting to play out differently? I'm active politically and in my own life but I can't say I'm interested in the topic so much as aware of the problem and proactive about it. If there was something I could actively do that would matter I'd have no problem. But living in a Tent doesn't prove or do shit except devalue my family's quality of life and make us look crazy.

But seriously. What am I supposed to do beyond making sure my own personal lifestyle isn't contributing more than normal to the problem? I'm not going to go out and picket polluting manufacturing plants. I'm not going to uproot my family and spend my days in a tent. Beyond switching out the bulbs and making my home energy efficient to the point of having solar panels, what else is there? Nothing. If I were to see a bill that impacts it I'd vote in favor of measures that reduce our global impact. That's about all I can do. I already wrote my congress representatives and all I have to show for it is a lot of shitty spam from them come election time.

Consider my interest thoroughly waned. But I'm not sure my interest is necessary to maintain efficiency.

I'd actually be quite satisfied if most folks would be so responsible as you are, worst is how people think "What I do alone won't matter, so I'll do nothing." Which means that no one will do anything and nothing of significance will happen.

But you're still right that there's a limit to what the general public can do, thing is; public awareness is necessary to put it on the political agenda to get those bills made in the first place. Politicians are not going to run on causes no one cares about.

It is of course a shame that individual action seems to be so unrewarding, hence why people have to band together to make an impact. But if people stop caring they won't band together either.

In the end it's a screwed up situation with lots of vicious circles.

Do you think caring and interest are the same thing? I mean, I care about the issue but I'm not particularly interested in it. I haven't really heard anything new in years besides the whole changing it from global warming to climate change.

 

[Erttheking]

That's the problem with the first world. Apathy.

What an odd thing to say. People in the second and third world care more about it do you think? Or do they have other things to occupy themselves?

I'd probably say that they either can't get the information that we can or that they are intentionally kept in the dark. Or, like you said, have other things to occupy themselves. A lot of people in third world countries have to focus on keeping themselves fed, so I can understand if they don't care too much about carbon emissions. Then again, they don't really contribute much to global warming in third world countries, so there's a reason they probably don't care about it that much.

Makes sense. Then why single out the 'first world'? Nobody cares, no matter where they live.

Mainly because people in the first world enjoy certain levels of luxury and freedom that a lot of people elsewhere don't, but we don't really seem to do much with it.

 

[Zato-1]

They keep predicting DOOM DOOM DOOM, but nothing is happening. The first warnings said the sea level would have risen by 1 meter by now, obviously nothing has happened.

People are starting to ignore the bullshit.

Aye, the doom-mongering doesn't help the alarmist's case. There is so much hyperbole and shouting on both sides of the argument, that it's become highly politicized and eventually people just don't want to hear any more about it.