Republicans Censor Climate Information in Schools

Climate denial is alive and well in the GOP. Republican legislators are conspiring to deprive kids of a science based climate education. In at least one state they have already succeeded. Earlier this year Republican lawmakers in Idaho voted to remove all fact-based references to climate from the state's science curriculum.

The state's House Education Committee voted for the new K-12 statewide science standards in February.  Republican legislator Rep. Scott Syme said he wanted the standard to include what he called "both sides of the debate". However, rather than invoke the baseless claims that constitute the other side of the argument lawmakers opted to excise all mention of climate change.

Proof of Disinformation from Fossil Fuel Companies (Video)

The fossil fuel industry is widely known to be the driving force behind climate denying front groups and disreputable scientists. Their aim is to make the public question the veracity of climate scientists and by all accounts they have been successful. In the US they managed to increase public skepticism and gain control of the Republican party.

As revealed by a series of internal company and trade association documents the fossil fuel industry has funded climate denial. This summary of evidence from the Union of Concerned Scientists shows how the fossil fuel industry funds a campaign of deception. 

Here is an assemblage of some of the most compelling evidence to date:

Infographic - Funding of Climate Denial

Video - Science Based Reason vs. Climate Denial in the US House of Representatives

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) exposes the ignorance of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) as he schools him on the irrationality of blocking a resolution that would have acknowledged the reality of climate change.

Video - Fear is at the Heart of the Psychology of Climate Change Denial

At first glance climate change deniers are simply ignorant. However, when seen through the lens of climate psychology we realize that it is a far more complex issue. Denial is motivated by pain and fear. The harrowing reality of climate change augers despair and causes people to shut down. People are overwhelmed so in this context denial can be understood as a psychological coping mechanism. For more information on how the negative emotions associated with climate change are impeding action click here. For information explaining why we need a new climate narrative click here.

Video - An Introduction to Climate Denial

This video reviews different types of climate denial. What it is, how it manifests and why it exists at all.

The US is the World's Leading Climate Denying Nation

The United States is the world's leading bastion of climate change denial. According to an international poll, the US is the nation with the largest percentage of people who refute the veracity of anthropogenic climate change.

A total of 52 percent of American agreed with the statement, “the climate change we are currently seeing is a natural phenomenon that happens from time to time.” India was tied with the US followed by China. In contrast, only 34 percent of Swedes, 26 percent of South Koreans, and 22 percent of Japanese agreed with the statement.

What Resistance to Evolution Teaches us about US Climate Denial

In this article a comparison is made between resistance to evolution and climate change denial. With roughly one third of Americans rejecting evolution and climate change, those engaged in raising awareness may be able to learn something from the comparison. Despite the pernicious ignorance of deniers, there are reasons that some of them may be forced to change their tune. While a cogent case could be made for the need to reach climate deniers, we may have to accept that there will always be some people who are beyond the reach of reason.

Those engaged in efforts to enlighten climate deniers can learn a great deal from the long history of the anti-evolution movement.

Almost one hundred years ago this month, a young high school teacher by the name of John Thomas Scopes went on trial for teaching Darwinian evolution. From its inception to this day, the science of evolution has been under siege.

Rubio's Opportunistic Denial of Climate Change is both Ignorant and Shameful

On Sunday May 11, Marco Rubio the Republican senator from Florida said that he does not believe that humans are causing climate change, nor does he believe that lawmakers can do anything about it.

Given the state he represents, it is hard to understand how Rubio can deny the veracity of climate change. Climate change is destined to hit Florida harder than most states in the future and its effects are already being felt in that state today. This is what makes Rubio's climate denial so utterly ignorant. It is not only anti-science, Rubio's statements defy common sense.

Infographic - Climate Denial is Anti-Science

Video - Fox News Climate Deniers Laugh-Off the Seriousness of Climate Change

This video clip features the pontifications of a climate denying duo from Fox News, the American headquarters of scientific obfuscation. Both the anchor and his guest laugh at the United Nation's discussions about global warming. They ignore the conclusions in the IPCC's latest report that suggest we are racing towards a catastrophe and choose instead to deride the United Nations inaction on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (even though both the general assembly and the security council have already addressed the issue). In Claudia Rosett's words the reason the United Nations is focused on global warming is because: "UN does very well under the climate train gravy train." The fact remains that of the 13,950 peer reviewed scientific papers on climate change only 24 question the veracity of anthropogenic global warming.

A Republican Fighting Conservative Climate Denial?

Six-term Republican congressman Bob Inglis’ went from towing the climate denying party line to being an advocate of action. He says that his belief in anthropogenic climate change caused him to lose his seat in Congress to a Tea Party backed candidate. Inglis favors a carbon tax and disagrees with energy subsidies including those for fossil fuels. In this Yale Environment 360 interview, Inglis explains why conservatives deny climate change and why he is now trying to persuade them that their principles can help save the planet.  In essence his argument hinges on the belief that free enterprise is better than a regulatory regime set by government. 

Fossil Fuel Powered Anti-Science Climate Denial

Despite a spate of solid peer reviewed science indicating that our current trajectory is "catastrophic," Americans are not worried about climate change. There are at least two primary reasons, the first has to do with the nature of climate change itself and the second has to do with the influence of powerful forces in the old energy economy.

At the end of 2013 a Gallup survey found that only 24 percent of Americans worry a great deal about climate change. Fifty-one percent of them worry about it very little or not at all.

Part of the problem is the fact that the leading cause of climate change (CO2) is invisible and its most devastating impacts will take place in the future. People are not exposed to the suffering it will cause and to make matters worse, we feel powerless to anything about it.

The other half of the denial equation concerns the devious efforts of powerful interests who stand to benefit from delaying political action as long as possible. They have used their limitless wealth to muddy the waters of climate science.

Why White Conservatives are Purveyors of Climate Denial

Conservatives are more likely to be climate deniers because as a whole they tend to revert to their core belief systems when they are confronted with novel information. They have a tendency to discount information that refutes their deeply held convictions and they are also less likely to confront their prior beliefs with new empirical evidence.

Here is a summary of the experimental evidence that breaks down the climate denying demographic.

Video - Debate on the Science of Climate Change

Bill Nye takes on fast talking climate denier Marc Morano on CNN's Pierce Morgan. Few popular news sources have provided more of a platform for climate deniers than Pierce Morgan, however Nye does a good job taking on the ignorant views of Morano who says that rising levels of CO2 are "not a problem."

Why We are Not Seeing More Action on Climate Change

The unbridled pursuit of profit by powerful interests is actively delaying action on climate change. Climate denying corporate interests and their political counterparts, along with the press and cynical investments, are making progress on climate change mitigation very difficult.

Republicans are the political minions of climate denial

Republicans continue to oppose action on climate change. Rather than lead, Republicans in the House are catering to the most conservative elements of their own constituencies and putting partisan interests ahead of national interests. However, this is only part of the story.

Greenpeace Report - Dealing in Doubt: A Chronicle of Climate Denial

The full title of this Greenpeace publication is Dealing in Doubt: The Climate Denial Machine vs. Climate Science.  This report addresses the ways in which climate deniers propagate doubt to undermine credible scientific evidence linking human activity to global warming. It was released ahead of the Fifth Assessment report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This updated version of their March 2010 report details the ongoing attempts to attack the integrity of individual climate scientists and their work.

Video - Keep Climate Denial Out of Our Schools

The Heartland Institute is an organization that is trying to downplay the science on climate change arguing the science is not settled. With the new IPCC AR5 report reiterated with even more certain the scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change. Heartland would like to create the appearance of a scientific debate where there is none by having our teachers claim we just don't know if humans are changing our climate.

Infographic - The Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus

Video - The Late Margaret Thatcher's Views on Global Warming

Margaret Thatcher, died on Monday April 8th 2013 at the age of 87 and while she was widely maligned for her economic and social policies, she was a surprisingly ardent supporter of action on global warming. This view was on display in a speech she gave in 1990 at the second World Climate Conference, in Geneva, Not only did she believe that climate science was credible, she acknowledged that global warming was threat to the UK and the world and she applauded the work of groups like the UN's IPCC.

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Margaret Thatcher was a Supporter of Climate Science and an Advocate of Global Emissions Reductions