Global Warming

I just watched Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth, which is a well done non-technical presentation of the global warming issue/crisis. And coincidentally I had also just read the UN’s latest report on the state of the current science of this issue. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis - A Summary for Policymakers gives a good overview of this report for those who don’t want to wade through all the data.

It’s amazing to me that the American political apparatus in both parties still thinks there is some uncertainty about this issue, or at least finds it expedient to pretend that there is still some uncertainty so that they don’t have to face the issue yet. And of course there are powerful business interests who find it useful to help the politicians pretend to remain unconvinced for as long as possible. There is no uncertainty among those who really understand the data – the climate scientists.

But it does raise an interesting point about scientist’s responsibilities in issues like this. It seems to me it is not enough in the real world to be right – one must be effective as well. In terms of real-world consequences, to be right but unable to convince anyone to take effective action produces exactly the same result as being wrong or wholly ignorant.