The Denial Industry: How The Culture War over Climate Started
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.07
Global warming is controversial in the States, but when I did my little post on George Bush's house in Texas, I had no idea that I would be dropped into the middle of a culture war. How did global warming become such a political battleground? I watched an episode of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp's Fifth Estate on the Denial Machine- how the American PR firms helped frame the debate for the big oil companies. It starts with Frank Luntz, consultant to the Republican party, who developed the strategy to say 'there is no sound science, so why spend the money?" or "American business and know-how will find a technical solution" It is forty minutes of riveting information overload on the business of being a climate skeptic. Remarkably, Luntz has had his own reconsideration of the issue and now says:
"If you really care about global warming, take it out of the political sphere. Take it out of trying to beat each other over the head and be honest. Do not yell, focus on solutions that will actually make a difference. Not everything in life is about politics." Watch ::The fifth estate (little red icon on the right after you link)
It's really pathetic and strange that climate change and potential solutions have been made into partisan issues.