"Since the late 1980s, this well-coordinated, well-funded campaign by contrarian scientists, free-market think tanks and industry has created a paralyzing fog of doubt around climate change. Through advertisements, op-eds, lobbying and media attention, greenhouse doubters (they hate being called deniers) argued first that the world is not warming; measurements indicating otherwise are flawed, they said. Then they claimed that any warming is natural, not caused by human activities. Now they contend that the looming warming will be minuscule and harmless. 'They patterned what they did after the tobacco industry,' says former senator Tim Wirth, who spearheaded environmental issues as an under secretary of State in the Clinton administration. 'Both figured, sow enough doubt, call the science uncertain and in dispute. That's had a huge impact on both the public and Congress.'"
I think it shouldn't be over estimated the number of people in this country that are sceptical of global warming. However there is a group of people who do doubt it. I don't think it is because they believe what is being told to them by groups on the right. I think that for many it falls into a questioning of the nature of the politics of global warming. The best way to get this across is through communicating with them, I think that the movie by Al Gore changed the climate of debate around this more than anything else. In a topic this big though, there is always going to be some people who hold back, it isn't that they refuse to see the truth, it is just that the truth is hard to see if you don't trust scientist and politicians.
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