Something to Think About

     There is quite a bit of discussion about Climate Change these days and whether or not it is real and influenced by human actions. You hear the numbers thrown around all the time: 97% of the worlds climate scientists say its happening and is getting worse because of us. Then there are those who say is a liberal conspiracy to make people by solar panels and drive electric cars. The illusion of this conversation is that it suggests that there is a real debate about the evidence. Like John Oliver demonstrated on his show "Last Week Tonight" a few months back, 97 vs. 3 is not really a debate.

     Yesterday, while I was reading my tenth article of the day on the climate and environment, I had an epiphany. People that do not believe in anthropogenic climate change always say there is no evidence to prove that it is real. When my mind began to turn that statement over in my head, it occurred to me that the sheer amount of scientific data collected on the Earth's climate over the past few decades must be enormous. Using a quick and very unscientific calculation, I figured
the number of observations was in the billions. 2000 scientists, 10 observations everyday for 340 days every year--I gave them off holidays and weekends because I'm so nice--for 50 years...is a lot! Yet, all of that data collected and analyzed proves nothing, according to deniers. Science, apparently, is a bunch of hocus-pocus to these people.

     We are supposed to believe Senator Inhofe and the Heartland Institute when they say their few unscientific opinions from an unknown number of unqualified scientists trump BILLIONS of observations made by thousands of qualified, educated and accredited scientists and researchers world wide.  Inhofe, the Heartland Institute and other deniers of anthropogenic Climate Change know the truth about the world we live in, and it is not some farcical reality filled with stats and numbers and research and decades of record keeping. That's just noise, they say.

      If you believe that, I have some magic beans to sell you. If you believe that anthropogenic climate change is a hoax, then you should already know the following:

    -  Airplanes or not the fastest way to travel the world, hot air balloons are.
    -  The Tampa Bay Rays are the hottest selling baseball cap.
    -  The most popular soda in the world is Mello Yellow.
    -  The two largest cities in the U.S. are Sundance, WY and Elk, CA
    -  There is not any dog shit anywhere on the streets of (insert French city here) _______.
    -  Greece has a stable economy and its citizens always pays their taxes.
    -  No one likes Italian food.
    -  Muslims love cartoons.
    -  The New England Patriots never cheat.
    -  Everyone loves soccer.
    -  Storks bring babies to new parents.
 
     Research, scientific inquiry and peer review are vital to the sharing of believable and accepted science. It's not smoke and mirrors or a series of popularity contests. It is the equivalent of Senate and House Committees and sub-committees, although far more effective and useful. If you don't believe me, then please, tell me why the Sun goes to sleep every night below the horizon and what wakes it up every morning?