Lauren Morello at E&E has a fascinating piece about research into the views of US farmers regarding climate change:
“Most of the farmers will admit that climate change is happening,” he said of the growers he advises in western Kentucky, on the Corn Belt’s eastern fringe. “What they don’t want to hear is that it’s global warming induced by man’s activities. In their mind, if we say, ‘Yes, we think climate change is real. Yes, we think global warming is happening,’ then someone is going to say, ‘You are a big cause of it. You use fertilizers and chemicals and big tractors, and we’re going to regulate you.'”
And that means that simply throwing more information at farmers isn’t the answer for scientists and others who want to start a productive conversation about climate change and agriculture, experts said.
So I’m going down to GA to speak in a couple weeks. I called the woman going after me to coordinate our talks. She’s in the solar industry and she made it clear to me she never brings up the environment when making a case. Always economics.
I understand, but how sad.
Best,
D
Most farmers can “afford” to ignore CC since the gov’t bails them out (directly or via subsidized crop insurance)
This, of course, is the problem with the “framing” debate. In the minds of the press it is the scientists’ and Al Gore’s fault for not jollying the farmers around, rather than the farmers fault for not accepting reality.
Another reason we should close Schools of Communication.
Throw more drought at them then. After a while whether they’re listening or not will become academic.
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