David, this reminds me of the 60's when the dangers of tobacco were really coming out. There were a lot of deniers then too. And then, as now, the deniers had huge financial and political backing and didn't even seem to be aware of it. Of course, it was in the interest of big tobacco (and the politicians they owned) to obsfucate the facts and even outright lie. And the tobacco addicted, eager to ausage any fears clung to this misinformation; sometime with almost religious zeal (but often with very little logic).

Now, with energy, it is the same. There are those who are so enamoured of "the american way of life" as enabled by cheap (and polluting) energy and polluting manufacturing processes and irresponsible waste disposal that they counter the real science with propagand, lies, and psuedo science; again with a knee-jerk religious zeal. And they are unaware (it would seem) that once again, their delusions are funded by the monied interests (big oil, big coal) and the misinformation spread by the media companies they own and institutionalized by the politicians they own.

Even Bush's astonishing 180 degree about face on certain aspects of this issue have failed to impress "the faithful".

It took me 2 years to win over one denier, and I had her trust and a lot of her attention. One down, ~75 million to go.

Thanks for your thoughts. In the end I know the truth will rise to the top.

I seem to be running into quite a few deniers, but then again, I live in Alabama, where our state climatologist is the illustrious denier Dr. Christy. My co-workers, my fellow church-goers, even colleagues in higher education are buying into the well-funded spin. I've even made it into a research topic and am working on a PowerPoint presentation "Lies, D__ Lies, and Computer Models: Global Warming and the Battle for Public Opinion." Like Leo, I am working on saving the planet, one opinion at a time!

If you would like to share your PowerPoint when it is completed, I would likely share it on my Web site, with attribution to you and any link if you have a Web site, plus a bit of bio or "backstory" such as your statement above (as long as it will not get you to lose a job or equivalent!).

By the way, there was timing that was highly calculated that explains the earliest Bush Administration pro-AGW (human-caused global warming) statements, as voiced by John Marburger, his science adviser. I wrote in my article how that dramatic, doom-predicting statement by Marburger was timed just before Bush's first major speech in which he promoted "clean technologies" such as "nuclear and clean coal". And within a few weeks after that, the first nuclear plant application in 25 years was received by the Federal government. In other words, even that acknowledgment of global warming was calculated to maximize profits of large corporations - oil, coal, and nuclear. As they say, follow the money. At a deeper level, follow the greed and delusions.

Sorry about the cropping: TBD forces a 1.33 apect ratio. Even back in 1975 (perhaps especially back then) we were all well aware of the crisis of pollution. Nixon started the EPA in 1970: back then, even Republicans acknowledged the problem and tried to do something about it. Of course, since Reagan the Republicans have only served rich and corporate America and screw everyone else (they can live on the crumbs that "trickle down").