The Next Battle - Packaging

Alright, the Global Warming issue has achieved critical mass. Not that it was essential but the latest IPCC report was the final nail in the coffin for global warming deniers and heel-dragging governments, or was it?

What next? Think the battle is over, that anyone has thrown in the towel, seen the light? Don't bet the milk money on it. That was just Round One in what could turn out to be a long fight. There's a lot of life left in the heel-draggers; plenty of money from those who want to delay or deflect action, privileged constituencies to be sheltered, little steps to be wrapped in spin and presented as big ones.

For the heel-draggers, the battle has been lost but it's far from over.

Do you think it's any coincidence that the whole gamut of technological "fixes" has been floated around in the days leading to the release of the IPCC study? Giant mirrors in the stratosphere, seeding the skies to cloud them up, and many more. No, they've been brought out for a reason and the timing is no coincidence.

The next line of defence for the global-warming deniers is the line we're going to be hearing about how the IPCC report still doesn't prove that we need to do anything drastic now or anytime soon. That's going to be reinforced by wild tales of cataclysmic, economic ruin that awaits us if we do tackle the GHG problem. Capping that off will be the argument of why should we go through all that expense and hardship just yet when, who knows, we might have a technological fix just a few years down the road?

So, let's review: Argument A: The science isn't in to prove we have to deal with the global warming issue just yet. Argument B: If we act rashly it will ruin the economy and you'll pay dearly for that. Argument C: There's a good chance we're going to have a relatively cheap and non-disruptive "fix" any year now.

Think about that. That line of argument might buy the other side a decade, perhaps even two. Their sleight of hand has already proven very effective for more than ten years, why should it falter now?

It's going to be a battle of packaging. How is the threat going to be packaged and how are the consequences going to be packaged and how are the solutions, real or imagined, going to be packaged?

Some populations are going to be more susceptible to these manipulations than others. Unfortunately the population where the battle will count most - the American people - haven't given anyone reason for confidence in their ability to see through distortion and deception when that's fed to them by those in authority. Look at how many of them actually believed that America had found WMDs in Iraq and that the link between Saddam and al-Qaeda had been proven.

The right-wing media are going to come running to the aid of the heel-draggers on this issue. They've proven how effective they can be in warping public opinion and in conveying powerful distortions. Besides, there's a lot more money available to them than there will be to the scientific side of the debate.