The Gas Industry Is Gaslighting the Public about Climate Change

In March 1969 Senator Henry M. Jackson of Washington State received a letter from an incensed constituent. The letter writer had watched an episode of a television talk show where the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg claimed that “the current rate of air pollution brought about by the proliferation of automobiles” could cause “the rapid buildup of heat on the earth.” This would melt the polar ice caps and eventually flood “the greater part of the globe.

The constituent wanted the powerful senator to stop Ginsberg—one of America’s “premier kooks,” in his opinion—from spouting such nonsense, but the senator soon learned that it wasn’t nonsense. Jackson reached out to presidential science adviser Lee DuBridge, who affirmed that Americans were “filling the atmosphere with a great many gases and in very large quantities from our automobiles” and that these gases could indeed melt the ice caps and radically change the climate.

This is flat-out false. For one thing, renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in most places Moreover, poll after poll has shown that most Americans are worried about climate change and are willing to pay to do something about it. In a Gallup poll conducted earlier this year, 74 percent of respondents ranked climate change as either “critical” or “important” to the “vital interests of the United States.

In 1959 Esso debuted the slogan “Put a tiger in your tank,” and for decades the industry never changed its stripes. Now it evidently has: from denying that climate change is a problem to admitting that it is a problem but blaming the public for it. The industry that gave us gas for lighting is gaslighting us.

This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of

Ireland Ireland Latest News, Ireland Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Lawmakers, industry experts hope seafood task force will boost struggling industryThe Alaska seafood industry is the cornerstone of Alaska’s economy, contributing $5.7 billion in 2019, but the industry is now on a tailspin on many different fronts. State lawmakers hope new legislation passed during the most recent session will help curb that.
Source: AKNewsNow - 🏆 460. / 53 Read more »

U.S. bans on gas-powered leaf blowers grow, as does blowback from landscaping industryThe roar of the leaf blower is inescapable, but towns and states nationwide are starting to ban or restrict blowers that run on gasoline. The measures face blowback from the landscaping industry and some property owners.
Source: therealautoblog - 🏆 528. / 51 Read more »

Canada Follows Europe, China, & USA With Anti-Greenwashing Provisions, Oil & Gas Industry Freaks OutCanadian fossil fuel propaganda disappears from websites and social media as Canada aligns with Europe, China, and the United States in cracking down.
Source: cleantechnica - 🏆 565. / 51 Read more »

Biden administration allocates $850 million to slash methane from oil and gas industryPolitical News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government
Source: dcexaminer - 🏆 6. / 94 Read more »

New Report Debunks Industry-Backed Greenwashing Scam of 'Certified Gas'Olivia Rosane is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
Source: commondreams - 🏆 530. / 51 Read more »

Forecast Strong Hurricane Season Presents Risk for U.S. Oil & Natural Gas IndustryClean Tech News & Views: EVs, Solar Energy, Batteries
Source: cleantechnica - 🏆 565. / 51 Read more »