SRO: Lobbyisme og klimalovgivningen i USA

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Lobbyisme i USA

og hvordan det påvirker klimadebatten

Cecilia Gøth Ellefsen 9. juni 2013

Abstract

This paper investigates what causes lobbyism has on the climate debate in USA and how it affects the public opinion.

Lobbyism plays a big role in USA, because lobbying pays much of the presidential election campaign and it is also think tanks that find out solutions for what governmental issues there might be.

This paper also includes an analysis of two articles “No need to worry about Global Warming” and “Global Warming  Boon for Mankind?”. Both articles take a critical stand towards Global Warming. They are both very scientific, but very subjective too, which the language tells you. The last one is published by Hudson Institute, a american conservative think tank, and is therefore also lobbying at some point  some of there donators have an interest in a not so tough climate policy. The consequences of the lobbying and the many different opinions also affects the public. You can roughly divide the american population into two groups (1) those who believe Global Warming is man-made (2) and those who don't. The two groups are about the same size, and that is why, it is hard for the state to run a tough climate policy.

Most of the danish population believe Global Warming is man-made, but yet, not much is done. The reasons might not be lobbyism, but there are social factors, which are the same in both Denmark and USA. For example Giddens Paradox, which explains why we don't do something; it is because the consequences are so long away, that we don't bother to change our life radically. There are also the well-known argument “Why should I, when my neighbour won't?”, which make it hard for anyone to ever do something.

The papers main conclusion is, that the climate politics probably won't change, unless the scientists klimadebatten for alvor har taget fart. Mange er blevet mere bevidste om hvordan den måde vi lever på påvirker klimaet, både på grund af den store medieopmærksomhed, men også på grund af at vi allerede nu, er begyndt at se konsekvenserne, i form af flere oversvømmelser, orkaner mm. Men på trods af at mange, både borgere og politikere, er blevet opmærksomme på problemerne, sker der ikke de store ændringer.