Linnea Edwardson

Public Opinion, Politics, and Global Warming Linnea Edwardson

In 1896, a Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, discovered the greenhouse gas effect, the main cause of how and why global warming has occurred and is still occurring. Even though he discovered this cause over 100 years ago, people today are still questioning the idea of global warming. There is a large amount of confusion over what global warming is, why it is occurring, if people are contributing to it, and whether or not it is serious. Newspapers, polls, and mass media have contributed to this confusion. With the countless amount of information, true and not true, out there, it is no wonder that people are confused. Many people believe that it is a partisan issue, and that Republicans believe that it is not happening and Democrats believe that it is happening. This is not the case. It is a bipartisan issue. People from all parties, all parts of the United States, and all parts of the world need to care. Media cannot affect options. People need to listen the facts and policy needs to be created in order for change to happen. It is not a question of if the earth is warming; it is a question of when we are going to make change.