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Page added on December 1, 2016
Peak Oil & System Justification: Damned Environmentalists
The tendency to justify the system may interfere with a clear evaluation of environmentally damaging aspects of the socioeconomic status quo and prevent a person from becoming dissatisfied and from taking action to correct environmental problems or stop destructive cycles
DEALING WITH FEAR & UNCERTAINTY
Jost et al. (2007) suggest that people become politically conservative because conservatism serves as a coping mechanism that allows individuals to manage their uncertainty and fear.…
This argument rests on findings that conservatives are more likely to perceive the world as a dangerous place and thus remain more fearful.
Accordingly, threat and uncertainty in the environment leads to increased fear and anxiety, which in turn heightens aversive motivations.
And so they do. With efforts * ranging from pseudo-factual, to statements carefully massaged to protect the guilty, to the embarrassingly inane [e.g., Senator Snowball], every opportunity to cast doubt on the realities of climate change and/or a fossil fuel production peak are tossed out to the masses, eager as they are for whatever reassurances can be offered to put to rest any anxieties or uncertainties the tree-hugging libtards are sponsoring with their allegedly nonsensical prattling about global warming and peak oil. [Facts suck!]
The result [as Trump followers ably demonstrate by parroting every idiotic pronouncement passing his lips with not a moment’s worth of reflection to ask “WTF?”]: those seeking the comfort of knowing that climate change and peak oil advocates are just doom-and-gloomers with too much time on their hands rely that much more on their chosen “leaders.” The latter are quick to offer just enough arguably legitimate information—and a healthy dose of snark—to calm fears and keep the “system” running without missing a beat. Why worry if “they” are handling all of this climate change/peak oil fear-mongering for us? Nothing ambiguous or uncertain with that approach!
The problem, then, at least with respect to attitudes about public policy, is not that people simply lack information, but that they firmly hold the wrong information—and use it to form preferences.
THE RIGHT APPROACH
In the United States and in a growing number of countries around the world these scientific uncertainty and unacceptable economic impact arguments have dominated disputes about proposed climate change policies since the mid-1980s.
Proponents of climate change policies have almost always responded to these claims by disputing the factual claims about scientific uncertainty or unacceptable cost made by climate change policy opponents.
And so, proponents of climate change policies have inadvertently allowed opponents of climate change policies to frame the public policy debate so as to limit the public controversy about climate change to disputes about scientific and economic “facts.”
Largely missing from this three decade debate have been analyses of why the arguments of climate change policy opponents are not only factually flawed but ethically and morally bankrupt.
Although a climate change ethics and justice literature has been growing for over a decade, the public debate about climate change has largely ignored strong ethical and moral problems with the scientific and economic arguments that have been the consistent focus of the opponents of climate change policies.
Demonizing environmentalists, scientists, and peak oil advocates has been a successful strategy for the influential voices of industry and media wedded to the conservative ideology, if success is measured without consideration for integrity. Emphasizing the “danger” these environmental and peak oil advocates present to the status quo, and the changes they clearly urge upon everyone to address their climate and energy supply causes are tactics which play directly to the conservative voters’ fears. Who has time to actually ponder their messages when anxieties are ramped up to Code Red?
Viewing environmentalists as a threat ‘consistently, strongly, and uniquely accounted for the link between right-wing ideology and opposition to environmentalist policies and climate-change denial….’
In other words, ‘the political polarization of climate change is not merely due to attitudes and beliefs about the environment and concerns for the economy, but in large part due to attitudes and beliefs about environmentalists as threatening to the status quo.’
THE FEEDBACK LOOP
When more information and understanding is called for, those preferring to keep things just as they are instead reinforce the same patterns of avoidance, denial, and disregard when more awareness and involvement are most needed. The continuing lack of understanding perpetuates continued reliance on those same prominent industry, political, and media voices, furthering empowering them while distancing their followers that much more from the facts. They know less, and are quite content to keep it that way.
When people think ill of others, they are unlikely to believe what they say or take direction from them. These negative views can take a range of forms….
Trust is essential for healthy relationships. When it is absent between citizens and scientists or government officials, resistance in one form or another follows. There is ample evidence that many people mistrust messages that come from scientists or government officials. When trust sours, the probability of positive behaviour change diminishes.
When it becomes impossible to ignore the continuing development of climate change and the increasingly difficult challenge of producing high-quality fossil fuels, easily, in timely fashion, and affordable—diligent though the denial cheerleaders are in their efforts to continue dissemination of misleading information to preserve their own interests—the solace afforded them in the past will remain in the review mirror. Then what?
What should anyone expect when the wrong—or no—information is all that the public has been provided?
* [See this sidebar link for a substantial number of prior posts discussing the denial efforts]
12 Comments on "Peak Oil & System Justification: Damned Environmentalists"
makati1 on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 6:13 am
How many millions will die of “Denial”? LMAO
Cloggie on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 6:39 am
Nobody is going to die from denial. If we will have run-away climate change, a big if, we are all going to die, including you.
“LMAO” /sarcasm
Apneaman on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 8:04 am
We are already in runaway climate change. You just don’t understand because you are unlearned in such matters. If you spent half your internet time reading the science (books too), watching lectures and free full university courses on the earth sciences you might have a clue. An understanding beyond – climut alwees changes…duh. That will never happen. It’s slow and can be tedious at times and there is no bad guys to hate and blame. Much more adrenaline and excitement googling links to prove your stupid fucking NWO delusions and watching ALEX FUCKING JONES. That Alex really gets the retard disciples fired up and hating. Losers.
DEATH BY DENIAL
Looks like another 7 are dead because of the humans denial.
7 Dead, at Least 53 Injured in Tennessee Wildfire, Officials Say
http://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-53-injured-tennessee-wildfire-officials/story?id=43875391
Thousands and thousands of warning for over 30 years to slow down and what did the arrogant humans do? The humans did the exact opposite of what they needed to do to prevent these things from happening. Half of all industrial emissions since 1750 have come in the last 30 years. So now the denial bill comes due. I lived in the SE for 8 years and it’s wet and cold in the late fall and winter. Wildfires are a summer thing down there. Very unusual to say the least. If not for the AGW jacked or caused drought then all that forest and fuel on the forest floor would not be bone dry. Another self inflicted tragedy – more to come. Denial won’t stop it nor will anything.
Apneaman on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 9:35 am
Watch the cancer spread with these nifty Time Lapse satellite images.
Google Unveils a 3-Decade Time-Lapse of the Earth
http://time.com/timelapse2016/
The last 3 decades huh?
1986, 5 billion humans.
2016, 7.4 billion humans
Global Warming Fact: More than Half of All Industrial CO2 Pollution Has Been Emitted Since 1988
http://blog.ucsusa.org/peter-frumhoff/global-warming-fact-co2-emissions-since-1988-764
1988 – the year James Hansen addressed congress and gave the world the first serious warning about climate change. Recommendation? Greatly reduce fossil fuel use or else.
Welcome to or else kids.
dave thompson on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 9:56 am
http://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2016/11/tiffanys-fallacy-mineral-pie-is.html
Apneaman on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 10:26 am
AN AMERICA FIRST ENERGY PLAN
DONALD J. TRUMP’S VISION
“-Make America energy independent, create millions of new jobs, and protect clean air and clean water. We will conserve our natural habitats, reserves and resources. We will unleash an energy revolution that will bring vast new wealth to our country.
-Declare American energy dominance a strategic economic and foreign policy goal of the United States.
-Unleash America’s $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, plus hundreds of years in clean coal reserves.
-Become, and stay, totally independent of any need to import energy from the OPEC cartel or any nations hostile to our interests.
-Open onshore and offshore leasing on federal lands, eliminate moratorium on coal leasing, and open shale energy deposits.
-Encourage the use of natural gas and other American energy resources that will both reduce emissions but also reduce the price of energy and increase our economic output.
-Rescind all job-destroying Obama executive actions. Mr. Trump will reduce and eliminate all barriers to responsible energy production, creating at least a half million jobs a year, $30 billion in higher wages, and cheaper energy.”
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/energy/
LMAO – $50 trillion. Half million jobs a year. Better dust off your work boots boys and keep your phone handy. Big Daddy will be dispatching you any day now. Methinks that the industry will be longing for the Obama oil BOOM days.
Dredd on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 10:41 am
People who live in towers should not live by the sea so as to fake fearlessness (The Bathtub Model Doesn’t Hold Water – 4).
Jerome Purtzer on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 1:01 pm
Apneaman-The Donald lives on Fantasy Island but who is his Tatoo(modern equivalent is Meetoo)? Is it Pence, Steve Bannon, Ivanka, or has he had himself mini cloned? Are there enough Meetoos out there to pack the ballot boxes?
penury on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 1:45 pm
It does not seem to matter whether the leader, president or whatever you call the gov
humans will continue the desecration of their habitat. I ascribe it to the hubris of divine creation. To steal from jerome, all humans live on fantasy island. Population control, oh no we can not do that. reduce the use of fossil fuels? oh no we can’t do that. Reduce the standard of living for the pampered first world (US) Oh no we are exceptional and must have all the bells and whistles. I have a marvelous idea, lets go bomb another three or four countries, that will keep the stupids occupied for awhile.
Sissyfuss on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 4:55 pm
The article talks of the demonization of environmentalists by the corporatocracy but the masses are in collusion with them out of fear. The truth of what we are doing to our nest and the steps needed to reverse the malignancy are too threatening to any first worlder or child bearing prole. This dance of death needs both partners to keep the music playing.
onlooker on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 4:59 pm
Good point Sissy, the more affluent citizens of the world cannot bear to think their privileged lifestyles are going to be a thing of the past. why do you think people jumped out of buildings during the stock market crash of 1929
Apneaman on Thu, 1st Dec 2016 10:22 pm
Jesus. The House Science Committee just cited a false Breitbart report that the climate is cooling.
Our Orwellian future is here
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/804471211426136064
Too funny. Holy shit am I ever going to have a ton of material to work with from the new mouth breather appointees. If I was writing a dystopian collapse novel, I would have some idiots just like Trump and his swamp rats as the political fools who took the humans over the edge. The humans are already driving towards the cliff with the pedal to the metal. Trump & Co are going to hit the nitrous so we can go out Thelma and Louise style x 2.