Dear John Roughan – I don’t think you’re a stupid person, but sometimes you use your platform in The Herald to say stupid things. Over the years you have written many “climate change is real but who cares” pieces. Your latest yesterday was a shocker:
Pluto – credible science without politics
We are in awe of the discoveries in outer space but sceptical about climate change, with good reason.
There are no good reasons to be sceptical about climate change. Ironic don’t you think, that later that day in The Herald: Weather ravages the north.
Science is amazing. Nine years ago, it sent a little spacecraft on a trip to the edge of our solar system, the edge of our consciousness, really.
Yes, science is amazing.
When climate scientists tells us greenhouse gases are warming the atmosphere to a catastrophic degree why don’t we believe it enough to demand remedies?
Because (1) too many people with vested interests in inaction are telling lies about the science, and (2) too many ill-informed opinion pieces tell us not to worry, and (3) because the remedies will involve change and probably some sacrifice and we’d all really rather someone else did that while we got on with our comfortable lives.
But if the worst that can happen is a rise of a metre in sea levels and a few degrees in mean temperatures over a century, I think we’ll cope.
The worst that can happen is a lot, lot worse than that, and if you are going to comment on this in public you owe it to the public to get better informed. Also – the weather systems of the planet have massive inertia. The changes that you may “cope” with in your lifetime are going to devastate the planet for your grandkids. Are you OK with that? Because you are saying that you are.
The climate does seem to be changing. Auckland’s past two summers have been unusually long and lovely, this winter is unusually cold. Droughts and floods we can handle. Science says otherwise, but not the sort of science that sends a probe to Pluto. Climate science is on a political mission.
That is stupid. Science is science, it can’t go on a political mission. If people are upset by science then it may become a political issue, but THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE SCIENCE. Sorry for shouting. But arguing that politics makes any difference to the validity of the laws of physics is as stupid as it gets.
That may be more exciting, more lucrative possibly, but I find all sciences more credible when their mission is the endless one into the unknown.
And there you go again. Science doesn’t care what you do and don’t find credible. And those NASA scientists that you do like? The ones who sent New Horizons to Pluto? They have a website on climate change. You should read it. Please.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress