This morning's Wall Street Journal FINALLY offers a proposal that makes sense. On the side of those who question the effect man has on the climate is low numbers. They are outnumbered by scientists agree climate change is largely driven by man's activities. But, on the side of those who adhere to the man-caused change, there is a curious intolerance of any questions risen.
This intolerance is frequently seen in those unsure of their positions. Science is never "settled" as true believers assert. Widely held beliefs later changed or debunked include "the Earth is flat," "evolution occurs slowly over millions of years," "people from Africa are inferior to Caucasians."
But, when events like those below happen, they lose my support. The right to question should never be withheld. Examples of true believer intolerance:
1. Elizabeth Warren. When a 25-year employee of the Brookings Institution wrote questioning a small portion of the man-caused assertion, this ideologue got him fired. That is better suited to the Gestapo than a United States Senator.
2. Raul Grijalva. This U.S. Representative misused the power of his office to write seven university presidents who had faculty members who questioned man-caused climate change. He demanded to know the source of their funding. Such heavy-handed intolerance and intimidation flies in the face of scientific inquiry.
3. Sheldon Whitehouse. Here we have a United States Senator who is such a rabid true believer that he sought to use RICO, Racketer Influenced Corrupt Act, to silence any question of his "belief of the day."
I will leave resolution of the question of climate change to those better suited to such questions than I. But, especially this Earth Day, I will vigorously argue for freedom (without government intimidation) of inquiry.
The Wall Street Journal article below seems a reasonable approach to rational inquiry. See Steven Koonin's approach at:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-red-team-exercise-would-strengthen-climate-science-1492728579
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