The New York Times posted an interesting item today about the “cultural barriers” to action on climate change. It’s a point I’ve often pondered in a broader sense – the extent of the cultural underpinnings of political beliefs. In other words, are people’s views shaped more by cultural factors, like the influence of your parents’ or friends’ beliefs, rather than hard facts (e.g., climate data)? My feeling is that they are – I’d like to learn more about the social science on the topic.

Anyway, here’s a snippet from the Times post:

“Just as few people saw a moral problem with slavery in the 18th century, few people in the 21st century see a moral problem with the burning of fossil fuels,” Professor Hoffman said. “Will people in 100 years look at us with the same incomprehension we feel toward 18th-century defenders of slavery?”

In an e-mail exchange, he said he doubted that it would take 100 years for society to recognize the dangers of spewing carbon emissions into the atmosphere, saying that the science is overwhelming and public opinion is malleable. He also held out the possibility of a “Black Swan” phenomenon – a low-probability, high-impact event tied to a changing climate – that could suddenly shift public attitudes and lead to decisive action.

He said that the development of a feasible, low-cost alternative energy source to fossil fuels could also change the economic and public opinion equation relatively quickly.