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xchrom

(108,903 posts)
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:39 AM Sep 2012

Politicians Who Deny Climate Change Cannot Be Pro-Business

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-07/politicians-who-deny-climate-change-cannot-be-pro-business.html

It finally seems to be dawning on many Americans that there's something to this climate change thing. The historic drought has been hard to ignore. While belief in a long-term trend because it's hot out right now is a bit ridiculous, it's a start.

You can see a shift in how the media covers weather. The statement "because of climate change..." is often stated clearly without caveats such as, "what some scientists think may be a warming planet." You see it in the UN calling for action to help the hungry cope with rising food prices "in an age of increasing population, demand and climate change."

And you see it in the growing number of mega-corporations — including America's Alcoa, Coca-Cola, Cisco, HP, J&J, Nike, and P&G — signing on to the "2 Degree Challenge Communiqué," a call for the world's governments to take strong action to slow greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change is basically accepted as fact the world over. But you wouldn't know it watching our political conventions (or at least one of them). So while the world seems to be waking up to a fundamental, existential threat to our species (and not to "the planet," which will be fine with or without us), the US policy debate remains mostly deaf, dumb, and blind.
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Politicians Who Deny Climate Change Cannot Be Pro-Business (Original Post) xchrom Sep 2012 OP
Winston conspicuously omits any mention of last month's fuel efficiency standards by Obama Kolesar Sep 2012 #1
Corporations need government regs to save them from their dumb-ass greedy short-sighted decisions. qb Sep 2012 #2

Kolesar

(31,182 posts)
1. Winston conspicuously omits any mention of last month's fuel efficiency standards by Obama
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 08:48 AM
Sep 2012
Letters are fun, though:

Tim Harris - 41 minutes ago

There has been no direct link between man's greenhouse emissions and climate change.

StrangeWorld98 in reply to Tim Harris 3 minutes ago

In the same way there is no 'direct link' between open sewers and cholera outbreaks.

qb

(5,924 posts)
2. Corporations need government regs to save them from their dumb-ass greedy short-sighted decisions.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 09:25 AM
Sep 2012

In the long run, strict regulations save them billions in lawsuits.

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