It turns out the majority of americans think the answer is yes, according to this article:
I am beginning to think that the question of whether climate change is real is not the central issue. The central issue is a broader environmental one about how we consume the resources of our planet. If it’s true that we are consuming the earth’s resources faster than they are being produced, then we need to reduce consumption. What do you think about this?
Ondrej wrote:To be honest, I think it is more fundamental than that. If environmental activists were coming up with free market solutions to all their identified problems pretty much everyone would be on board. Free market solutions go away if they don’t work. If they had a track record of embracing solutions like nuclear or natural gas to replace coal burning, since they align with their stated goals, one might feel as though they were “arguing honestly”. Since they do not come up with free market solutions and do not jump at the chance for lowering emissions through the use of things like nuclear and natural gas and they continually and forcefully advocate for higher levels of governmental regulations (which is the same thing as government power) one begins to wonder if, in fact, the goal is government power. Is there really a climate problem or is it just being used as a tool to grant government more control over people and businesses? Are the projected “catastrophes” real or are they overhyped to gain support? (lots of hype) Have catastrophes been projected that should have already occurred but didn’t? (yes) Do the same people advance more government power across the board on a variety of issues? (likely) So, it’s not so much determining that a lake has oil in it that can and should be cleaned up. That’s fine. The problem is where are you getting the money, who is given power, who checks that power, can I trust that the oily lake is really what is motivating you, how do I measure success or failure in your endeavor, if you are failing how will I know about it, and if you are failing how do I turn it off?