Another example of how politicians and the media are manipulating scientific findings to influence public opinion:

On my way to work this morning, I saw the advertising space on the train plastered with new political party advertising. Here in Norway election day is coming closer and political advertising is popping up all over the place. So nothing new there.

BUT: The slogan on the train this morning said: “If you are sick and tired of the bad weather, vote for us!” And then underneath: “We take the protection of the environment serious!”

What a load of ….

Ok, we had a pretty lousy summer here in Norway, so I guess mentioning the weather is a good way to draw the attention of the public. And yes, global warming is likely to lead to some drastic weather changes. It is also clear, that human activity is the critical factor in global warming.
However, global warming is a long term phenomenon and political change is important, but it is unlikely that any kind of action is going to show short term effects.

By using an advert like this, politicians are suggesting that global warming (and its consequences) is a problem that can be fixed quickly. They couldn’t be further from the truth! So people will vote, because they want to save the environment; they will continue to drive their big 4-wheel drives to the corner store and will fly to all corners of the earth for a two-day-get-away, because after all, they voted to save the environment.

Then, 4 years later, global warming is still happening, the summers were bad again, and petrol got even more expensive! We really shouldn’t vote for these guys again, all they made was empty promises!