Thesis Statement on Global Warming Controversy

Abstract

This paper will discuss a controversial reason why some people refuse to believe in global warming. The main topic will cover the political point of view of why some don’t believe in global warming. The question being answered is, “Why don’t some people believe in global warming?” Before that, an important distinction in believing global warming is that some people think it's happening but refuse to believe it’s human-caused. For this paper, only people who don’t believe in global warming whatsoever are the focus. The correlation between Democrats and Republicans and their opinion on global warming will be discussed as well as their ideologies. The cost of anti-global warming policies will be explored along with the possible increase of taxes from the government. Additionally, the persuasion of public opinion for self-interest will be addressed.

Why Don’t Some Believe in Global Warming

The question of if global warming is real has been a controversial topic throughout the past several decades. Numerous arguments have arisen to discuss if the planet is increasing in temperature and thus, eventually leaving Earth uninhabitable. Since Earth in the past has been through severe climate changes, some people believe the warming of the planet is normal and society will survive. Others claim the temperature increase has already dealt irreversible damage and needs to be controlled, otherwise, disaster will unfold. In addition, there are other arguments involved such as the claim that global warming is human-induced. All reasons are equally valid if they can be backed up with evidence but it’s difficult to know. Furthermore, the reason which will be explored further in this essay is: some people don’t believe in global warming because of their political ideology.

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Republicans and Democrats are known to disagree on important topics. The topic of global warming is included. The Republican nature is to resist change while the Democratic nature is to be open to change. Most of the members of the Republican party refuse to acknowledge global warming as a threat, while the opposite is true for Democrats. The distinction is important to understand because the United States is a country with a plethora of resources. How these resources get distributed plays an important role in the citizens' lives. Understanding who stands on which side should be made aware to all citizens. Additionally, the reasons why Republicans don’t believe in global warming can help others to decide what to believe. It’s up to the person to decide if it’s worth fighting global warming.

However, some believe that political status has nothing to do with the belief in global warming because whether they are conservative or not, it won’t matter when the warming of the planet causes more economic damage compared to the cost of preventing it now. A short-run sacrifice of resources will ensure that the planet continues to thrive in the future. Nevertheless, this viewpoint is incorrect because they are using foresight to compare the situation now, to a possible future. Anyone can make a guess at what might happen in the future, and there is no way of knowing if global warming will truly impact the world someday. Consequently, this argument loses its credibility because it fails to understand that global warming is a complex issue.

From a political point of view, the opinions on global warming from the Republicans and Democratic parties became more divided in the 1980s. Ronald Reagan and his team considered that global warming policies would hurt the economy of the United States and limit their parties' power in politics (Dunlap & McCright, 2008, p.2). As a result, more support for anti-environmentalist policies occurred in the Republican party during that time. The words spoken by Reagan infected others with the same idea that these policies will damage the economy. This would increasingly widen the gap of opinion between the parties which would continue in the 2000s. Today, Republicans have a lower chance to believe in global warming than Democrats (Brewer, 2012, para.19). The influence of Reagan and other Republican leaders are a major contributor to others' assumption that global warming is a hoax. The duty of a politician is to get elected officially and represent their followers. They attempt to persuade the public to believe in their opinion (Brewer, 2012, para.18). Because of self-interest, they will say what will get them the most publicity and votes. An example of a politician using global warming to gain personally is Al Gore. His claims about global warming were purely out of greed instead of correctly informing the public (Lejano & Dodge, 2017, p.13). Consequently, it’s not out of the question that some politicians would claim global warming is a hoax to receive support from non-believers. Furthermore, the republican party has been easily susceptible to influence. The party has been known to ignore the media and keep its ideals within the party while refusing to consider alternate possibilities. They convince each other by changing opinions and trusting what the media claims about global warming (Lejano & Dodge, 2017, p.4). In addition, those who search for evidence tend to find evidence that only supports their opinion rather than a different point of view (Kahan, 2013, p.1). Influence from leaders and peers plays an important role in an individual's opinion of global warming. Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influencne from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from 1980s firstfor backggroinund info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite trump reducing climate change budget

Additionally, some people refuse to believe in global warming because it’s expensive to fund. The cost of preventing this relatively new concept from occurring is difficult for some people to accept. Consequently, the budget for global warming has been rising steadily over the past few years. The funding towards environmental projects has increased as well as the taxation on citizens. Over time, The U.S. plans to donate 3 billion to the U.N. to aid in preventing global warming (Halliman, 2017, p.3). Although the amount is relatively low compared to the government's budget, it can easily be multiplied into several more billions. The large amount of resources being donated does not agree with the Republican ideology. The resistance to change is the defining trait of the Republican Party. Their ideology creates comfort and feelings of certainty (Njoroge, 2011, p.10). Naturally, anything that is a danger to their comfort is rejected. Others who agree with Republicans will find that they are also against the insertion of higher taxes because it interferes with the current economy (Njoroge, 2011, p.26). A higher tax rate is the consequence for everyone, which can drastically change the economy negatively. Therefore, those who are against this level of change will likely claim that global warming is a hoax.

Furthermore, the psychological traits of conservatives impact their opinion on global warming. The traits that make Republicans different from Democrats are what fuel their arguments. Studies have shown that conservatives are less likely to believe in global warming because of the potential problems it will create in the future (Campbell & Kay, para 8). They feel endangered by the threat of global warming and therefore consider it a hoax out of their own feeling of uncertainty. The key difference between Republicans and Democrats is that one group is content with the consequences of global warming while the other is terrified. (Campbell & Kay, para 8). Democrats are open-minded individuals who embrace adversity while Republicans are close-minded individuals who crumble when situations change. The cognitive difference between the two parties is an important reason as to why Republicans are more likely to believe global warming is a hoax.

To conclude, global warming is a topic that is becoming more troublesome in society. The debate will continue until one group surrenders to the other. Politically, the two parties have their own reasons to believe or not to believe in global warming. These differences in the political parties are a major contributor to the belief of global warming and the influence of others. The open mind of Democrats allows them to consider change and the unknowns for the future, while Republicans are the opposite. Their ideals constrict them to staying the same while their customs refuse the acceptance of new scientific information. Whether they change opinions in the future will be interesting because if the increase in temperature becomes more evident, it will be futile to ignore it. Because of fear of change, and influence from others, Republicans refuse to believe in global warming as a result.

References

1. Brewer, P. R. (2012). Polarisation in the USA: Climate change, party politics, and public opinion in the Obama era. European Political Science: EPS, 11(1), 7-17. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/eps.2011.10
2. Dunlap, R. E., & McCright, A. M. (2008). A widening gap: Republican and democratic views on climate change. Environment, 50(5), 26-35. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.fgcu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/224021557?accountid=10919
3. Halliman, R. (2017). Restructuring of the global economy: The role of climate alarmism. American Journal of Management, 17(6), 21-34. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.fgcu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1989499975?accountid=10919
4. Njoroge, R. N. (2011). Examining why people accept (or reject) the scientific consensus on global warming: The role of demographics, ideology, and cultural cognition (Order No. 3502873). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ Florida Gulf Coast University - FCLA; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (993012656). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.fgcu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/993012656?accountid=10919
5. Campbell, T. H., & Kay, A. C. (2014). Solution aversion: On the relation between ideology and motivated disbelief. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(5), 809-824. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0037963
6. Kahan, D. M. (2013). Ideology, motivated reasoning, and cognitive reflection.Judgment and Decision Making, 8(4), 407. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.fgcu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1417401434?accountid=10919
7. Comment by Wesley DeHays: mention influence from leaders Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe include history from the 1980s first for background info Comment by Wesley DeHays: maybe use the required online source to cite Trump reducing climate change budget