Climate denial is a cynical political strategy with no future. Although it may be hard to envision from where we are today, the truth will eventually win the day. The facts about climate change can only be denied for so long and the time will come when climate denial will be political suicide. While polls indicate there is increasing acceptance of climate change, these polls also reveal that Republicans continue to deny reality. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll indicates that almost two-thirds of Americans think the Republican Party’s position on climate change is “outside the mainstream”.
As President Barack Obama said in a 2015 Vice interview:
“I guarantee you that the Republican party will have to change its approach to climate change because voters will insist upon it. The challenge on something like climate change is there comes a point of no return and you do have to make sure we get at this thing quick enough and with enough force to be able make a difference. On climate change, 90 percent of Democrats agree with me, and 90 percent of Republicans oppose any action on it and a sizable proportion of their party denies it even exists. It’s not both sides arguing and ceasing gridlock, you’ve got one side that is denying the facts.”
However, sophisticated climate denial campaigns continue to undermine the facts and the Trump administration continues to resist science and roll-back action on climate change.
The road ahead of us is daunting and our time is running short. People of all political stripes will one day accept anthropogenic climate change, however, by the time Republicans do so, it may be too late.
