A Climate Science Report That Changes Minds? Don’t Bet on It
“While there remains some debate about the cause of climate change, there has been a documented change in weather patterns
over time in Wisconsin,” the report noted, adding later, “Climate resilience is a state and national priority.”
Dr. Hayhoe has also found that many conservatives are more skeptical about climate science when they think
that the solutions to global warming look suspiciously like a liberal wish list involving extensive government intervention.
“If someone is already not on board with climate science or is just disengaged
and feels like it doesn’t matter, more information about ocean acidification or attribution of extreme weather events isn’t going to change their minds,” said Katharine Hayhoe, a professor of political science at Texas Tech University who contributed to the federal climate report.
Similarly, few observers expect this new report to influence the Trump administration, which has pushed to repeal federal regulations on the greenhouse gases
that lead to global warming and whose officials have expressed doubt about the causes of a warming planet.
But there is little reason to think that yet another scientific report will fundamentally
shift attitudes on global warming — either among policymakers or the public at large.