How ‘Solution Aversion’ and Global Warming Prescriptions Polarize the Climate Debate

The New York Times:

Anyone eager to understand, and move past, the deep political polarization around global warming would do well to explore the findings in “Solution aversion: On the relation between ideology and motivated disbelief,” published in the November issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The paper is behind a subscription wall, but a Duke University news release does a fine job laying out the basic findings, as does Chris Mooney, getting into gear in his new blogging position at the Washington Post. Here’s an excerpt from the Duke release, followed by more from Mooney and some thoughts from me on how this work echoes points explored here for many years:

From the release:

A new study from Duke University finds that people will evaluate scientific evidence based on whether they view its policy implications as politically desirable. If they don’t, then they tend to deny the problem even exists.

Read the whole story: The New York Times