Planet S magazine points out that the 2% of climate scientists who disagree with the 98% tend to be less well educated, less published, and funded by "big oil".
I have come to the conclusion that many people simply believe what they want to believe. Science, logic, and fact have little influence on some people.
Canadians should feel proud that the percentage of climate deniers in Canada is much lower than in the USA.
_______________
Below are some teaser quotes from the document linked to above:
"Biased assimilation is the tendency to embrace evidence that supports one’s beliefs
about the world and reject evidence that is inconsistent with one’s beliefs about the world."
"Nevertheless, the magnitude of the costs of global climate change makes it rational for any nation to enter into such a treaty, despite the costs of doing so."
"Unless a similar groundswell of support for reducing the risks of global climate change can be mustered, legislative efforts to restrict fossil fuel consumption are unlikely."
"because of a lack of a scientific consensus on the degree of climate change that the planet will experience, society is unlikely to achieve a consensus on the need to undertake costly preventive measures. In other cases of scientific uncertainty, people tend to adopt extreme positions, and adhere to them closely, which makes consensus in a large group difficult or impossible."
"Furthermore, the fossil fuel industry has incentives to generate research that muddies the scientific waters."
"Loss aversion and the status quo bias
People become attached to the status quo."
