Republicans Exploit Voter Fears to Stifle Action on Climate Change

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/republicans-exploit-voter-fears-to-stifle-action-on-climate-change

Monday, 22 May 2017 06:35
Republicans Exploit Voter Fears to Stifle Action on Climate Change

FARRON COUSINS FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

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A recent article published in Ars Technica discussed several conservative leaders -- ranging from religious figures to former Republican politicians -- attempting to convince conservatives that climate change was an issue that needed to be addressed by everyone, not just the liberals in the United States. The article discusses various ways that these conservatives are trying to approach the issue, from citing biblical passages about protecting the Earth, to educating conservative voters about the benefits of a carbon tax.

The Ars Technica article touched on a very important subject that is too often left out of discussions on climate change: Why are Republican politicians so successful when it comes to getting voters to vote against protecting the environment?

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One possible explanation for why Republicans have been successful could be due to the way in which they frame the climate debate and in the ways the brain processes fear. For too long, Republican politicians have been feeding the public lies about the need to get rid of "job-killing regulations" and rein in "government overreach." These are phrases that are often used to describe the Environmental Protection Agency and the safeguards that are put in place to protect the environment.

When Republican officials frame environmental protections in this way -- telling voters that these protections come at the cost of the voters' own economic security -- they are manipulating the immediate fears of voters. If a person is afraid that they may not be able to feed their family next month because they could lose their job due to "government regulations," they will always place that immediate fear over the "far off" danger of a warming planet.

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