[WhitneyLand]

Is the problem really not knowing? Because even you don’t know, is it not enough that virtually all credible scientists are warning us of the very bad things we are at risk of?

I know you are not debating the issue, but to me one of the most interesting questions is why do people deny this even when they have no vested interest?

One obvious answer is that it’s become a party platform issue and those that do have an interest have poisoned the well of thought for large numbers of people.

Maybe that’s part of it, but it’s hard to believe it’s that simplistic and there is no other psychology at play. Whatever lack of respect one has for an opposing political party, you’d think after hearing enough doomsday scenarios it would at least be worth digging in a little to see what all the fuss is about.

[yters]

For me it is hand wavy doomsday scenarios that makes me skeptical, along with hand wavy predictions that don't come true. My thought is that if it truly was as serious as people say, the evidence and argument would feel a lot more solid and there would be less fearmongering.

[bigbugbag]

I'm not sure what doomsday scenarios and failed predictions you're referring to but even though for some reason it feels otherwise to you evidence and argument is quite solid.

Seems you may be victim of a bias of some kind here[1], or have been exposed to some misinformation of some kind.

[1]: https://youarenotsosmart.com/2017/01/30/yanss-094-how-motiva...

[yters]

Doomsday scenarios in the public imagination. For instance, I saw a commercial in a UK theatre that showed people drowning in city streets due to global warming. That's ridiculous. I've heard claims the Maledives will be submerged in X years, even though the Maledives are coral islands that will rise with the sea level increase. Then I see lots of conjecture that this or that tragedy is attributable to global warming. In general, there is a lot of alarmism, but it is hard to pin down what exactly the problem is. Maybe you can clarify. What is a specific problem we face that is directly attributable to global warming?

[gaius]

is it not enough that virtually all credible scientists are warning us of the very bad things we are at risk of?

The public perception is that science keeps warning of imminent disasters that keep not happening. Climate profiteers like Al Gore have totally undermined the credibility of science.

[bigbugbag]

I'm not sure what allows you to speak in the name of the public but the disasters science warns us about is currently happening.

https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/67/12/1026/46052...

[IntronExon]

I would posit that if Al Gore is all it took for science to have its credibility undermined in your eyes, you don’t actually know what science is, how it works, or much about the issues at hand.

[gaius]

I would posit that if I refer to the public perception and you think I am speaking personally you don’t actually know what reading comprehension is

[IntronExon]

I’m not having a problem reading what you wrote, although I admit that my psychic powers are for crap. In other words, I read what you wrote, not whatever subtle variation you felt. Taking context into account, I suspect that what you actually wrote was pretty much accurate, without the post hoc qualifications.