Science Will Prevail in the End

Here, Clifford F. Thies writes a very helpful overview of the recent "Climategate" revelations. It falls into the category of "I wish I had said that."

I am amazed and even stupefied that so many of my academic colleagues continue to trumpet the dangers of climate change in general and CO2 in particular. I take them to be sincere, intellectually honest people, which is why I am stupefied at their continued advocacy of the IPCC dogma.

And make no mistake, it is dogma. A good friend of mine made the observation recently that the climate change crowd has been lumped together with all other environmentalist groups at this point, to the great diminution of the message of rational environmentalists. The climate change crowd is giving legitimate environmental messages a black eye.

We are all environmentalists, really. That's because humans are part of the environment. We are not separate from the environment, nor are we merely caretakers of the environment. I really don't know anyone who argues that we should foul our nest. But I know plenty of mistaken folks who think we should all be told what to do, when to do it, and how to go about it. These folks are in love with government, for whatever reason.

The climate change crowd enlisted politicians as willing allies in their diatribe about CO2 and global warming. Now it turns out they rigged the science. They got caught. Good.

Science will prevail in the end. It has since we discovered how to use it, and it will continue to do so for centuries to come. They burned witches for 300 years in Europe, but science finally got by that. Climate change? Just another witch.

By the way, let's all lighten up; this is really a hoot.