[Muncle]

I am not a scientist, nor do I play one on television. I am, however, a bit of a cynical bast*rd. Unfortunately, today it is impossible to have a scientific discussion of global warming/climate change. The subject has taken on the mantra of religion. One is either a believer or a heretic. You either accept all the teachings of the savior or you deny all.

Two aspects of the "debate" make me lean toward the deniers. The first of these is that the believers seldom if ever refute the claims of the deniers. They almost always seem to question the funding of studies and even resort to ad hominem attacks on the scientists. That worries me.


The other aspect is the old stand-by "follow the money" which I expand to "follow the politics." Yes, the existing oil industries have billions/trillions tied up in this fiasco, but so do the Greenies. Politically, we seem to be at odds with the rest of the world, but that is very understandable. If all bought all the global warming line, and bought into Kyoto-type restrictions, the only country to be seriously hampered developmentally and financially would be the US and to a lesser degree some of the Group of 7. And would it have a significant effect? Nobody can say for sure, at least not without genuflecting. But hey, nobody ever got a Nobel Peace Prize for denying the inconvenient "truth."