I’ve been very frustrated by the messaging of climate change activists. They talk in a way the most people just don’t relate to – in abstract concepts. Sure, everyone says they want to save the earth, but it’s hard to relate to events that aren’t happening now and aren’t affecting them directly. It’s hard to get someone to take action against abstractions. That’s why it’s so exciting to see someone communicating about the other benefits of addressing climate – technology and jobs. Interestingly, it’s defeated Republican Rep. Bob Inglis that’s doing it.
Yesterday morning, at a House subcommittee hearing on climate change, Inglis mocked his Republican colleagues for refusing to acknowledge the truth and danger of global warming, saying, “They slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and they’re experts on climate change.” He also warned that while they posture to score political points, China will surpass the U.S. in clean technology:
INGLIS: Because 98 of the doctors say, “Do this thing,” two say, “Do the other.” So, it’s on the record. And we’re here with important decision to be made. And I would also suggest to my Free Enterprise colleagues — especially conservatives here — whether you think it’s all a bunch of hooey, what we’ve talked about in this committee, the Chinese don’t. And they plan on eating our lunch in this next century. They plan on innovating around these problems, and selling to us, and the rest of the world, the technology that’ll lead the 21st century. So we may just press the pause button here for several years, but China is pressing the fast-forward button. And as a result, if we wake up in several years and we say, “geez, this didn’t work very well for us. The two doctors didn’t turn out to be so right. 98 might have been the ones to listen to.” […]
There are people who make a lot of money on talk radio and talk TV saying a lot of things. They slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and they’re experts on climate change. They substitute their judgment for people who have Ph.D.s and work tirelessly [on climate change].
Exactly! Why does no one talk about the meaning of what Republicans are saying about climate change? For one, Republicans are saying they know more about climate than the people who actually study it. They handwave this away by saying that scientists are in a massive conspiracy…to do something, I’m not sure what or why.
The message I always get out of what Republicans say about climate change is that they have no confidence in American ingenuity. Climate deniers say it’s too difficult, we should just keep doing what we’re doing and that it will never be affordable. While they force us into the status quo we’re being left behind by other countries that aren’t restrained from doing innovation.