Global Warming -- or Climate Change?
Words matter. Just ask Frank Luntz.
But before we get to Dr. Luntz, go right now to the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. There you will see a "Top Story" about a "general warming trend" nationally and worldwide. NOAA reports that "the rate of warming has accelerated over the past 30 years, increasing globally since the mid-1970s at a rate approximately three times faster than the century-scale trend."
Today's issue of The New York Times sees the NOAA study as a possible watershed. It emphasizes that, under the current administration, NOAA never before "said unequivocally that a buildup of greenhouse gases was helping warm the climate."
Which brings us back to Frank Luntz, author of Words That Work (2007). Dr. Luntz helped transform how politicians talk about issues. He persuaded the GOP to speak, for example, about the "death tax" instead of the "estate tax". He also advocated calling "privatization" of Social Security "personalization". He believes that using the right words can alter gut reactions and therefore rally support for policies.
Dr. Luntz counsels pols to soften "global warming" to "climate change". Global warming scares people, but climate change sounds more benign.
So what should Blawgletter's law firm call its newest practice area -- Climate Change Litigation or Global Warming Litigation?
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