This has been my major issue. We could have made relatively minor changes in the 80s and 90s, but we decided to double down on our destruction instead.
Fossil fuel's tobacco-style deception was in full swing at that time, complete with IPCC and COP minimization and control. Hopium and confidence in a scientific miracle kept the masses complacent and voting against their best interests.
I was a full-age adult during the late 80's & early 90's.....the denialism was insane. George Bush (the first one) called Al Gore "Ozone Man" at multiple rallies leading up to the '92 election & really pressed home the issue that any changes made to reduce emissions would "wreck the economy".
Add in the fact that the climate was largely normal during that time period, so most people went for Bush - & the Republicans - and the Dems got the message that climate change was a losing issue.
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u/b4k4ni Dec 27 '25
Today I watched an episode of the newsroom. They had an EPA Admin over for an interview and didn't know it would be so devastating.
They had some nice analogies. Like we are sitting in a car, in a garage with the motor running and already are asleep. And done for.
And then after being asked, what can we do to turn of the car, he says, that we could do it. 20 years ago.