Merchants of Doubt

In the documentary Merchants of Doubt takes a look at the Tobacco industry in the last sixty years. It talks about the long period of denial of tobacco being unhealthy even after the industry had know the effects. It is a case of very rich and powerful people denying the truth in order to make more money, for as long as they could stall the public and government from taking action. This is contrasted with the "debate" between climate change scientists and deniers. In the same way tobacco had lied about the truth, climate deniers seem to be doing the same. But who are the big businesses worried about losing money? The fossil fuel industry is the main one. They are in the same predicament that the tobacco industry was in. Business is huge, and even growing and if climate change policy will affect that, then there is only one logical solution for them, saying climate change isn't real.

Naomi Oreskes looks at this further and actually pinpoints perhaps the main reason why this happens among big businesses. She claims that it isn't actually about the money, at least not entirely. She says that in these instances one thing stays consistent, and that is the companies don't want government to be more involved in fear that we could be heading to a socialist or communist state. She reflects on the cold war, and recognizes many of these CEO's and rich men are from that era.

Climate Deniers that I have met are not these rich and powerful men, but average citizens with certain political beliefs. They often mimic what is said on the news, or what their favorite politician believes forgetting to realize that they are an individual all the same as their coveted politician. Because of this, they can make their own decisions. They can do their own research. Most importantly, they don't have to agree with whatever their party believes in, but can come to their own conclusions and challenge the party that they prefer to actually make that party more in line with what is right. I am talking about the republican party of course. I find it sad that many people think that if you want to be republican, democratic, libertarian, or the likes, that you have to agree with everything they believe. What's wrong with being a democrat and being anti-abortion, or being a republican and being anti-guns. Or maybe, just maybe, one could be a republican and believe in climate change and recognize the problem that we all face, regardless of what party you affiliate yourself with.