Board index » Word on the Street... » News & Debate




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1605 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 1:06 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Unthought Known
 Profile

Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:49 pm
Posts: 9495
Location: Richie-Richville, Maryland
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/uom-gxi071212.php

Generation X is surprisingly unconcerned about climate change

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—As the nation suffers through a summer of record-shattering heat, a University of Michigan report finds that Generation X is lukewarm about climate change—uninformed about the causes and unconcerned about the potential dangers.

"Most Generation Xers are surprisingly disengaged, dismissive or doubtful about whether global climate change is happening and they don't spend much time worrying about it," said Jon D. Miller, author of "The Generation X Report."

The new report, the fourth in a continuing series, compares Gen X attitudes about climate change in 2009 and 2011, and describes the levels of concern Gen Xers have about different aspects of climate change, as well as their sources of information on the subject.

"We found a small but statistically significant decline between 2009 and 2011 in the level of attention and concern Generation X adults expressed about climate change," Miller said. "In 2009, about 22 percent said they followed the issue of climate change very or moderately closely. In 2011, only 16 percent said they did so."

Miller directs the Longitudinal Study of American Youth at the U-M Institute for Social Research. The study, funded by the National Science Foundation since 1986, now includes responses from approximately 4,000 Gen Xers—those born between 1961 and 1981, and now between 32 and 52 years of age.

Only about 5 percent of those surveyed in 2011 were alarmed about climate change, and another 18 percent said they were concerned about it. But 66 percent said they aren't sure that global warming is happening, and about 10 percent said they don't believe global warming is actually happening.

"This is an interesting and unexpected profile," Miller said. "Few issues engage a solid majority of adults in our busy and pluralistic society, but the climate issue appears to attract fewer committed activists—on either side—than I would have expected."

Because climate change is such a complex issue, education and scientific knowledge are important factors in explaining levels of concern, Miller said. Adults with more education are more likely to be alarmed and concerned about climate change, he found. And those who scored 90 or above on a 100-point Index of Civic Scientific Literacy also were significantly more likely to be alarmed or concerned than less knowledgeable adults. Still, 12 percent of those who were highly literate scientifically were either dismissive or doubtful about climate change, Miller found. He also found that partisan affiliations predicted attitudes, with nearly half of liberal Democrats alarmed or concerned compared with zero percent of conservative Republicans.

"There are clearly overlapping levels of concern among partisans of both political parties," Miller said. "But for some individuals, partisan loyalties may be helpful in making sense of an otherwise complicated issue."

Given the greater anticipated impact of climate change on future generations, Miller expected that the parents of minor children would be more concerned about the issue than young adults without minor children.

"Not so," he said. "Generation X adults without minor children were slightly more alarmed about climate change than were parents. The difference is small, but it is in the opposite direction than we expected."

Miller found that Gen X adults used a combination of information sources to obtain information on the complex issue of climate change, with talking to friends, co-workers and family members among the most common sources of information.

"Climate change is an extremely complex issue, and many Generation X adults do not see it as an immediate problem that they need to address," Miller said.

"The results of this report suggest that better educated young adults are more likely to recognize the importance of the problem, but that there is a broad awareness of the issue even though many adults prefer to focus on more immediate issues—jobs and schools for their children—than the needs of the next generation. These results will not give great comfort to either those deeply concerned about climate issues or those who are dismissive of the issue."

_________________
you get a lifetime, that's it.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 1:56 pm 
Offline
User avatar
On the bright side
 Profile

Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:42 pm
Posts: 17495
Location: Surfside Beach, SC
Gender: Male
Yeah, I don't really give a shit about global warming, so that article is pretty accurate.

_________________
I remember thinking, "that's really gay". -- Cameronia


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:19 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Coast to Coast
 Profile

Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:21 am
Posts: 23078
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Gender: Male
Is it because it's not your world anymore?

_________________
For more insulated and ill-informed opinions, click here.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:21 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Supersonic
 Profile

Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 12393
It's like the greatest issue ever...I can do nothing, be apathetic and skeptical, and if shit does go wrong I can still blame my parents and grandparents.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:22 pm 
Offline
User avatar
On the bright side
 Profile

Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:42 pm
Posts: 17495
Location: Surfside Beach, SC
Gender: Male
If by "your" you mean GenX or the U.S., then yes.

But if you meant singularly, I think you underestimate how global I am, Jorge.

_________________
I remember thinking, "that's really gay". -- Cameronia


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:54 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Unthought Known
 Profile

Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:49 pm
Posts: 9495
Location: Richie-Richville, Maryland
McParadigm wrote:
It's like the greatest issue ever...I can do nothing, be apathetic and skeptical, and if shit does go wrong I can still blame George W. Bush.


8)

_________________
you get a lifetime, that's it.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:17 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Supersonic
 Profile

Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 12393
broken iris wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
It's like the greatest issue ever...I can do nothing, be apathetic and skeptical, and if shit does go wrong I can still blame broken iris.


8)


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:35 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Unthought Known
 Profile

Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:49 pm
Posts: 9495
Location: Richie-Richville, Maryland
McParadigm wrote:
broken iris wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
It's like the greatest issue ever...I can do nothing, be apathetic and skeptical, and if shit does go wrong I can still blame Brendan O'Brien's production and mixing.


8)

_________________
you get a lifetime, that's it.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:38 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Supersonic
 Profile

Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 12:10 am
Posts: 10993
Gender: Male
broken iris wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
broken iris wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
Image


8)

_________________
i8pork wrote:
being on the internet is fun as hell. :comp:


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:38 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Supersonic
 Profile

Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 12393
Alex wrote:
broken iris wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
broken iris wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
Image
Image
Image


8)


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:54 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Administrator
 Profile

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm
Posts: 20537
Location: The City Of Trees
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/2 ... imate.html

Rocky Barker: Coal cuts both ways on climate-change debate
Published: August 20, 2012

The fact that the rapid growth of cheap natural gas has done more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than all of the environmental initiatives combined may give climate critics a reason to embrace reality.

A story in Friday’s Statesman reported that greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are the main cause of rapid climate change have dropped to the lowest level in 20 years. The major reason is that utilities are replacing coal-powered electricity with natural gas.

In Idaho Power’s case, it scrapped a new coal plant in 2006 for natural gas, eventually building the new Langley Gulch gas plant near New Plymouth. That decision was driven in part because capital for new coal plants had dried up due to expectations that new regulations would force cuts in carbon emissions.

But nationwide, new fracking technology has opened up vast new natural gas supplies, dropping the price so low that gas is competitive with coal in some areas. Fracking — injecting fluids into the ground to extract the gas — has prompted fears of groundwater contamination and opposition from many of the same people urging cutbacks in greenhouse gas emissions.

Here in Idaho, the Snake River Alliance just released its “Lose The Coal” report urging Idaho Power to phase out the Wyoming and Nevada coal plants that make up 50 percent of its power generation.

Its report says Idaho Power could replace its aging coal plants with energy-efficiency measures. Idaho Power owns a part of coal plants that generate about 1,500 megawatts of power, almost half of which the alliance says it can be replaced easily by energy efficiency. It wants the rest to come from renewable energy like solar, biofuels, wind and geothermal.

But the Alliance’s Ken Miller acknowledged that natural gas, which generates about half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal, also would work. The Alliance is not opposed to natural gas like it is to coal, but it’s not suggesting Idaho Power replace coal with gas — in part because gas prices could eventually rise again.

Idaho Power is doing its own analysis of coal and will talk to us after the report is done. I expect the company will be wary of giving up a cheap power source until those plants are fully depreciated.

But its executives may not be as quick to upgrade those coal plants to extend their life with cheap gas as an alternative. IdaCorp CEO LaMont Keen told me a couple of years ago that he was an “agnostic” on climate change, but not ignoring it. Since Keen was not a denier, he has a relatively easy route to becoming a believer.

That is not the case for many conservative politicians who bought into the heavily funded climate-change skepticism campaign. What are they going to say? “We were wrong and Al Gore is right?”

Not likely.

The new fact that the free market is doing more to lower emissions in the United States than arcane new regulations gives these folks the chance to say: “OK, maybe we were wrong. But so were those greenies!”


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:31 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Unthought Known
 Profile

Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:49 pm
Posts: 9495
Location: Richie-Richville, Maryland
Wasn't there a story a few weeks back about market manipulation and artificial suppression of natural gas prices? Implying, I suppose, that they suppliers are able to operate at a loss to get everyone to build the gas-powered plants before they jack up the price.

_________________
you get a lifetime, that's it.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:26 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Got Some
 Profile

Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 1:37 am
Posts: 2465
Location: A dark place
All of this discussion will be for nothing anyway. Mother will fix things. There are at least 5 astroids (2 over 2 miles wide) that will approach the earth's "keyhole" in the next 40 years. If they don't get us, Yellowstone is starting to show some serious activity and many scientist believe it will erupt in the next 50 years. It's a supervolcano and will wiped out the U.S. as well as about 95% of all lifeforms on Earth. Either way we are looking at a "nuclear winter"-like senario in our children's lifetime. So please stop worrying about global warming.

_________________
Do you like crappy amateur photography? Check out my photo blog here.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:31 pm 
Offline
User avatar
The Maleficent
 WWW  Profile

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:17 pm
Posts: 13551
Location: is a jerk in wyoming
Gender: Female
turned2black wrote:
All of this discussion will be for nothing anyway. Mother will fix things. There are at least 5 astroids (2 over 2 miles wide) that will approach the earth's "keyhole" in the next 40 years. If they don't get us, Yellowstone is starting to show some serious activity and many scientist believe it will erupt in the next 50 years. It's a supervolcano and will wiped out the U.S. as well as about 95% of all lifeforms on Earth. Either way we are looking at a "nuclear winter"-like senario in our children's lifetime. So please stop worrying about global warming.

and the black holes- don't forget the black holes.

_________________
lennytheweedwhacker wrote:
That's it. I'm going to Wyoming.
Alex wrote:
you are the human wyoming


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:31 pm 
Offline
User avatar
The Maleficent
 WWW  Profile

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:17 pm
Posts: 13551
Location: is a jerk in wyoming
Gender: Female
and zombies.

_________________
lennytheweedwhacker wrote:
That's it. I'm going to Wyoming.
Alex wrote:
you are the human wyoming


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:31 pm 
Offline
User avatar
On the bright side
 Profile

Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:42 pm
Posts: 17495
Location: Surfside Beach, SC
Gender: Male
Man I hope that is true. Unlike many RMer's, I have a plan and a stockpile if this happens.

_________________
I remember thinking, "that's really gay". -- Cameronia


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:33 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Red Mosquito, my libido
 Profile

Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 2:02 am
Posts: 91597
Location: Sector 7-G
Rebar wrote:
Man I hope that is true. Unlike many RMer's, I have a plan and a stockpile if this happens.

I have a plan as well. It's simply to find you.

_________________
It takes a big man to make a threat on the internet.


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:34 pm 
Offline
User avatar
The Maleficent
 WWW  Profile

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:17 pm
Posts: 13551
Location: is a jerk in wyoming
Gender: Female
Rebar wrote:
Man I hope that is true. Unlike many RMer's, I have a plan and a stockpile if this happens.

*joins AARP*

_________________
lennytheweedwhacker wrote:
That's it. I'm going to Wyoming.
Alex wrote:
you are the human wyoming


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:38 pm 
Offline
User avatar
On the bright side
 Profile

Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:42 pm
Posts: 17495
Location: Surfside Beach, SC
Gender: Male
cutuphalfdead wrote:
Rebar wrote:
Man I hope that is true. Unlike many RMer's, I have a plan and a stockpile if this happens.

I have a plan as well. It's simply to find you.

Sorry friend, but unless you want to share the dog's food, my Costco 1 year emergency food kit doesn't factor in for another human being.

_________________
I remember thinking, "that's really gay". -- Cameronia


Top
 
 Post subject: Re: Global warming
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:40 pm 
Offline
User avatar
Red Mosquito, my libido
 Profile

Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 2:02 am
Posts: 91597
Location: Sector 7-G
Rebar wrote:
cutuphalfdead wrote:
Rebar wrote:
Man I hope that is true. Unlike many RMer's, I have a plan and a stockpile if this happens.

I have a plan as well. It's simply to find you.

Sorry friend, but unless you want to share the dog's food, my Costco 1 year emergency food kit doesn't factor in for another human being.

Some friend you are. Reid and I will perish elsewhere.

_________________
It takes a big man to make a threat on the internet.


Top
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1605 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81  Next

Board index » Word on the Street... » News & Debate


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:47 pm