Consensus? Not Really.
Consensus is defined as "an opinion or position reached by a group as a whole". Environmentalists and Global Warming advocates would have us believe there is scientific consensus when it comes to the source of Global Warming, that source being human beings.
Of course, with perceived consensus, comes all the authority associated with it. When an issue is out there for debate, people can be skeptical of or confident in the information being provided. However, when there is consensus, when something is displayed as fact, you're either a believer or a labeled denier. And you have the pleasure of all the stigma attached to the word denier. Articles have been written equating Global Warming skeptics with Holocaust denial, confused targets of corporate think tanks, members of a Big Oil conspiracy or conspiracy theorists in general.
You're meant to feel guilty for driving, having Christmas dinner, using too much toilet paper, and even having children. The hysteria has come to a boil, and perhaps, with a release of the recent U.S. Senate Report, the boil cane be lanced.
The report I refer to is the U.S. Senate Report: Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007 and with any luck 2007 may be known as "the year man-made global warming fears bite the dust."
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Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. The new report issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s office of the GOP Ranking Member details the views of the scientists, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke out in 2007. |
The blog entry I linked to is a comprehensive summary, with links to backup material. I especially appreciated the section titled Examples of “consensus” claims made by promoters of man-made climate fears. Specifically, Al Gore's quote that compares global warming skeptics to people who "'believe the moon landing was actually staged in a movie lot in Arizona".
The more debate there is, the more we let science run its course without political interference the better it will be for everyone. Well, maybe not for those who want to take your tax dollars and spend it based on a non-existent "consensus".