Take a Cool Guess—The Fun Quiz on Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability. Today’s Topic: Fossil Fuels Industry and Climate Change
Oil giant Exxon covered up its knowledge about climate change
Questions: How much has the fossil fuel industry spent to avoid dealing with climate change since the year 2000? What is the ratio of what they’ve spent on lobbyists vs. all environmental groups combined?
Answers: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.
Relevance: According to this article, “Legislation to address climate change has repeatedly died in Congress. But a major new study says the policy deaths were not from natural causes — they were caused by humans, just like climate change itself is. Climate action has been repeatedly drowned by a devastating surge and flood of money from the fossil fuel industry — nearly $X (see answers) in lobbying since 2000 alone. This is according to a stunning new analysis in the journal Climatic Change on “The climate lobby” by Drexel University environmental sociologist Robert J. Brulle. The most important conclusion of Brulle’s is that spending by those in favor of climate action was dramatically overwhelmed by the big fossil fuel suppliers and users: ‘Environmental organizations and the renewable energy sector lobbying expenditures were dwarfed by a ratio of X:1 (see answers) by the spending of the sectors engaged in the supply and use of fossil fuels.’”
Craig,
What exactly is the point of these endless, increasingly bizarre explanations as to why general public has grown weary of climate alarmists and leftist ideology masked as environmentalism ?
Studies such you cite from obscure sources are neither important, nor “major” ! No one with any training in methodology would take such nonsense seriously. It is what it is, just propaganda designed to create (and reinforce) urban myths.
As such, it’s quite effective. The media love this sort of sound bite and such pseudo-science is easy to pass off as real academic research.
The reason the general public has lost faith in leftist ideology and climate alarmists, is because they have grown weary of activist rantings about “studies” such as this, while providing no practical or acceptable alternatives.
It’s of very little value preaching “It’s all big, bad Exxon’s Fault”, as you fill up at a gas station ! The general public may not say anything, but they understand your hypocrisy and regard the protestors in your photo as just so much useless, self indulgent street theatre.
The public doesn’t want to be part of your silly war, what the public will support is practical solutions, relevant to their needs and aspirations.
Again, if you’re sincerely interested in the public’s perception/concern about climate change, please see: https://news.gallup.com/poll/206030/global-warming-concern-three-decade-high.aspx. It’s at a three-decade high. All the push-back from the oil companies and their toadies (employees?) like you cannot change the basic fact that the world will not sit around and watch the fossil fuel industry bake this planet.
Hi Craig,
Thank you for your reply and information from the Gallop organization.
I was surprised by the low level of support for the interviewers questions. I would have surmised a higher level of response since replies to these sort of questions usually elicit responses indicating what the respondent thinks is the ‘correct’ answer, not a true opinion.
I ask you to consider your proposition objectively and without prejudice.
What does an oil company have to fear from belief in climate change?
Oil companies are not driven by ideology, or philosophy. Oil companies are purely commercial organizations dedicated to maximizing profit for shareholders and investors. As corporate citizens their only interest in civic affairs is to ensure a peaceful, prosperous society with safe, affluent consumers and stable governance.
Why oil companies bother to spend money counteracting attacks from those like yourself seeking to conduct a crusade or jihad against them?
I hate to tell you this, but the major oil companies just don’t care enough to engage in a silly propaganda campaign. As long as oil companies companies have consumers like you ( nearly all their opponents remain hypocritical customers) why should they care ?
As long as you have no real alternative to offer, what do they care ?
Ask yourself this, are consumers more concerned about climate change or the availability of cheap oil? Are governments more concerned about “green issues” or a prosperous economy and the huge revenue from oil ? What is of greater concern to the average voter, to much oil, or too little ?
“the world will not sit around and watch the fossil fuel industry bake this planet ”
So,I take it you drive a Tesla, BMW i3, or a Leaf ? No, and if your house caught fire or needed and ambulance you would raise no objection to the gasoline/diesel vehicles attending.
That’s really the point, oil companies just don’t need to worry.
Despite your vague Gallup poll, “green parties” and all anti-oil activists are in full retreat and losing relevance. Maybe a bit like organized religion. Surveys still show a high belief in a “Supreme being” while attendances at organized religious services is falling.
Now, maybe it’s my imagination, but I thought I detected a jibe of innuendo, so in reply I would point out, I have contributed more in the last two months to deprive oil companies of revenue and consumers, than you in many years.
My recent large EV sales in these last three months might only be a tiny pin prick, and unnoticeable in the grand scheme, but they are at least something more than just preaching 🙂