Why the Republican Party Promotes Climate Change Denial

Polarization and Issue Incorporation: When citizens develop concerns over policy in a given issue area, parties are often forced to choose how to incorporate these citizens into their party coalition. You will choose an issue that you find interesting or personally relevant.Then, you will put together a research paper that a) briefly explains the issue and the various sides citizens have taken on it, b) analyzes when, why and how the major parties incorporated the issue into their party, and c) argues for how party involvement has impacted policy out comes and/or public opinion. In doing so, you will want to consider what both activists and party leaders felt they had to gain by joining together, why they teamed up when they did and not earlier/later, whether this had any effect on relationships with other members of the coalition ,and whether collaboration has helped/hurt issue activists and/or the party itself.

My idea: Despite the unequivocal evidence supporting the causes and consequences of anthropogenic climate change, public opinion in the United States on this issue has splintered sharply between party lines. While the majority of Democrats are now in agreement that global warming is a real threat created by human activity, and that its consequences will take effect in their lifetime, Republicans continue to grow increasingly doubtful of these issues, further complicating efforts to communicate and take hardline action. Why and how did this become the case?