Over at the New York Times, John Tierney looks at the state of the global warming debate. He points out that those who hold non-mainstream views are usually dismissed as corporate shills.
This is a shame; people have put forward arguments that are either right or wrong. Funding sources have nothing to do with whether those arguments are right or wrong.
Many people think they’re wrong. It would be nice to know why, instead of who underwrites their research. Who cares? There are much bigger fish to fry here.
We know the Earth is getting warmer, and there’s a high probability that humans have something to do with it. Beyond that, we still have a lot to learn. We have yet to conclusively determine whether the net effects will be good or bad. Will it be better to adapt to a changing world, or to try to stop that change altogether? Those are big questions, and we don’t know the answers yet.
So let’s get to finding them out. Demonizing people who disagree with us is, to be frank, a waste of time.
Inertia Wins! 