For those who think that there are two sides to the climate change issue, a few notes:
1. The closest we have now is “the right side,” which has accepted the scientific findings, and “the wrong side,” which rejects data and relies on personal beliefs, fake news, or conspiracy theories devoid of rigorous information. And this is not new – we had 97% consensus over five years ago.
Recent research: Cook, et al., 2016 have found massive consensus among climate scientists (and the more you know, the more the data are accepted: https://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-scientific-consensus-intermediate.htm
2. For those who think it is political: it is, but perhaps not the way you think. The US is the ONLY major nation IN THE WORLD where a major party fundamentally denies global warming as part of its platform. Everywhere else, conservatives acknowledge the reality of a warming world, even when there is debate. The only exception to this is Russia, which relies on its petrochemical industry. (Indeed, one of the only research papers to deny global warming in YEARS was written by…a Russian scientist.)
3. For those who think scientists are somehow making money off this, nope, wrong side again. Research funding goes for research, nothing else. Foundations monitor their grants quite closely. In fact, the only scientists making bank off this are those funded by the petrochemical industry to DENY global warming, as has been shown compellingly. Or, for that matter, members of Congress who fear the loss of money from the Koch brothers.
4. And for those who somehow imagine that tens of thousands of scientists are maintaining a hoax, I refer you to Ben Franklin: “Three people can keep a secret — if two of them are dead.”
For those who think that there are two sides to the climate change issue, a few notes:
1. The closest we have now is “the right side,” which has accepted the scientific findings, and “the wrong side,” which rejects data and relies on personal beliefs, fake news, or conspiracy theories devoid of rigorous information. And this is not new – we had 97% consensus over five years ago.
NASA: https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/
Recent research: Cook, et al., 2016 have found massive consensus among climate scientists (and the more you know, the more the data are accepted: https://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-scientific-consensus-intermediate.htm
2. For those who think it is political: it is, but perhaps not the way you think. The US is the ONLY major nation IN THE WORLD where a major party fundamentally denies global warming as part of its platform. Everywhere else, conservatives acknowledge the reality of a warming world, even when there is debate. The only exception to this is Russia, which relies on its petrochemical industry. (Indeed, one of the only research papers to deny global warming in YEARS was written by…a Russian scientist.)3. For those who think scientists are somehow making money off this, nope, wrong side again. Research funding goes for research, nothing else. Foundations monitor their grants quite closely. In fact, the only scientists making bank off this are those funded by the petrochemical industry to DENY global warming, as has been shown compellingly. Or, for that matter, members of Congress who fear the loss of money from the Koch brothers.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/why-republicans-still-reject-the-science-of-global-warming-w448023
4. And for those who somehow imagine that tens of thousands of scientists are maintaining a hoax, I refer you to Ben Franklin: “Three people can keep a secret — if two of them are dead.”