People who deny global climate change have been called “crackpots and conspiracy theorists” by British politician Ed Davey. Speaking at a meeting of business executives, Davey came down hard on those who are deniers of global warming:

“Of course there will always be those with a vested interest in the status quo who seek to create doubt where there is certainty,” Mr. Davey said during a speech in Brussels, “and you will always get crackpots and conspiracy theorists who will deny they have a nose on their face if it suits them.” Davey was referring to those who remain unconvinced that global warming is real, even in the face of an overwhelming body of scientific evidence.

Davey went on to discuss the future ramifications of global climate change, issuing an ominous warning and saying that gambling on the issue is akin to negligence that should land someone in jail:

Climate change’s long-term impact on the global economy? Well, we can be sure it will make current economic troubles look mild in comparison. So if you meet in your boardrooms people who still doubt the evidence, ask them how they normally assess risk and how they normally act on the evidence and presence of risk. For on the basis of any normal risk assessment – weighing probability against impact, weighing the cost of acting against the costs of inaction – taking a gamble on climate change wouldn’t be just incredibly stupid, it would have you locked up in jail for corporate negligence.

His statements themselves actually have some science to back them. A study performed in Australia entitled “NASA faked the moon landing – Therefore (Climate) Science is a Hoax: An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science” found that people who deny global warming are also more likely to deny other scientifically proven facts, such as the link between HIV and A.I.D.S., the link between smoking and lung cancer, and other findings that are supported by a large body of peer-reviewed published evidence.

Deniers of global warming were also more likely to believe in conspiracy theories such as the moon landing being faked or Martin Luther King being killed by the government. But researchers say there’s a perfectly rational explanation for this this type of thinking, and it should come as no surprise that conspiracy theorists would reject scientific findings.

“Science is about weeding out bad ideas,” said head scientist Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, “With conspiracy theories, you start out with a theory and stick to it no matter what the evidence, so it is not that surprising that conspiracy theorists would not accept scientific propositions … If the scientific evidence is overwhelming and you don’t like the conclusion, you have to find a way to reject those findings.”

Some lawmakers in the United States agree, with one even going so far as to advocate ridicule of those who are climate change deniers. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), speaking at a conference, said “The power of ridicule should be deployed here. You have to get to the point where a major candidate for public office is disqualified when he or she denies climate science.”

No matter how adamant lawmakers are that global warming exists, global warming deniers will continue to keep the debate alive.

By: Rebecca Savastio

Source: The Telegraph

Source: Seattle Pi

Source: The Telegraph