The Tory retreat on climate change is senseless | Ian Birrell | Comment is free | The Guardian

Ill-informed loudmouths have long opposed policies to tackle climate change. Sadly, their views appear to be gaining ascendancy, such is the Tory leadership's desire to appease the right, combined with the fear of appearing elitist by endorsing measures that might affect the cost of living. "It has become a totemic issue," said one senior Tory. "Either you are a tough Essex man in touch with the people or you are dismissed as an effete metropolitan toff."

Climate change on political 'back burner' | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

When Americans elect a president in 2112, they might look back across the previous century and view this year’s election with regret, marking it as a time when the nation failed to take climate change seriously enough.
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“I don’t think the candidates see the issue of global warming as offering any political points,” said Mark Byrnes, a political scientist at Middle Tennessee State University. “Not only is it a complicated issue, but to try to solve the problem is going to require some painful solutions. And politicians don’t tend to want to talk about painful solutions at campaign time.

“You’re going to have to impose some new taxes or new regulations in order to make a dent in the problem. And those aren’t very popular with the public. Both candidates talked about how they love coal and oil, which is really on the opposite end of the spectrum.”
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Gore’s office said the man behind “An Inconvenient Truth,” the movie that brought more attention to the issue than anything else, was unavailable to comment.

The War on Objectivity - Paul Krugman - NYTimes.com

It means that if these people [the 50+% of American voters who may vote against Obama] triumph, science — or any kind of scholarship — will become impossible.