More on Consensus

At the recent AAAS convention, Neal Lane explained why I'm reluctant to take the global-warming hysteria seriously:

Among scientists, said Lane, "there is quite a consensus in place that the Earth is warming and that humans are responsible for a considerable part of that" through the burning of fossil fuels.

And the science is clear, he said, that without action to control fossil fuel use, the warming will get worse and there will be climate events that "our species has not experienced before."

When scientists use the word “consensus,” it's a clear sign they're trying an end run around the mainstream scientific method. Real scientists give evidence; they don't say “Trust us.”

Besides, if global warming is a menace, we should have anti-nuclear activists tried for treason to humanity. We can start with the Union of Concerned Scientists …

They had some real issues with the current adminstration. For one thing, there were some apparent budget cuts:

Federal spending for research and development is significantly reduced under the proposed 2005 Bush budget, the speakers said.

"Overall the R&D budget is bad news," said Bierbaum.

She said the National Science Foundation funds for graduate students and for kindergarten through high school education has been slashed.

This is, of course, opposed to all expert advice. Expert advice always includes paying more for experts (see Genesis 44:31).

I also noticed an odd admission:

Rosina Bierbaum, dean of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, said the Bush administration has cut scientists out of some of the policy-making processes, particularly on environmental issues.

"In previous administrations, scientists were always at the table when regulations were being developed," she said. "Science never had the last voice, but it had a voice."

They're admitting that? I recall the same rhetoric being used in the Reagan administration. I suppose twenty years from now, they'll be ranting about how much better things were under George W. Bush.