Prominent Former Global Warming Skeptic & Conservative Tackles GOP's "rejection of proven science"

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Anyone with a moral conscience who digs into climate science at all (not snake science from global warming denier websites, but real climate science), will find that humans are causing global warming, the effects of global warming are serious, and we should be doing something NOW to address the issue.

I’ve been covering stories on a number of “climate science skeptics” and conservatives who, after delving into the science for real, found that the evidence for the above was overwhelming and “changed sides” (starting working to address climate change not hide from it).

Here’s a bit from a piece by another former global warming skeptic, former Republican Party officer and author Michael Stafford:

I’m a “climate change convert.” Like many of my fellow conservatives, I was traditionally skeptical of the science supporting the anthropogenic global warming (AGW) hypothesis. Today, I am skeptical no longer. Like conservative blogger D.R. Tucker, on this issue, I was ultimately “defeated by facts.”[1] Today, converging arguments have persuaded me that AGW is real and that we must take action to prevent it.

The rejection of proven science in favor of a form of ideologically driven magical thinking by the GOP is extremely unfortunate, and unnecessary. As D.R. Tucker has observed, ” It does not put America on the road to serfdom to suggest that the federal government has a compelling interest in protecting the country from ecological damage. If anything, it puts America on the road to common sense.” Similarly, the embrace of climate denialism by the GOP today represents a rejection of the traditional conservative concern for preserving and extending the stability of communities and institutions over time- of stewardship for society. As David Jenkins has pointedly noted: “The policies being peddled by these folks reflect a live for today-let me do what I want mentality that has nothing to do with the conservative notion of protecting the interests of future generations.”

The full piece is excellent, and I encourage you to read it: My Road to Damascus: Coming to Terms with Climate Change.

The moral imperative to acknowledge and address global warming is not at all political. It is a moral imperative based on the fundamental fact that we should do what we can to ensure a livable environment for our neighbors, our friends, our family, our future generations, and even ourselves.

As Sami Grover of TreeHugger, where I first ran across this news, writes: “Doubtless, conservative and liberal environmentalists will continue to disagree on the best way to address the challenges we face—but it’s good to see prominent conservative voices speaking up for the fact that ignoring established science is neither a sensible strategy nor a morally-justifiable position for the GOP to take.”

The piece quoted at length above comes from a new ecoAmerica blog called ecoAffect, which is “for professionals changing the culture on climate.” Looks like a useful new project/site that will help us to integrate understanding climate change and climate action across political and cultural lines.

More global warming denier stories on Planetsave:

  1. Cartoonist Tom Toles Slams Republican Global Warming Deniers
  2. USA Today: Climate Science Deniers are Like “Birthers”
  3. Why Is the World Not Freaking Out about a Major, Plagiarized Global Warming Denial Report?
  4. Climate Skeptics Turn into Climate Realists {Video & Audio}
  5. Climate Skeptic (& Republican) Who Learned the Facts..

Photo via stormbear

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