"Settled Science", Sokol's Hoax, and Banning Water

Well.

What do I know about climate change?

Not a whole lot.  I understand it changes.  I understand there are laws of physics and chemistry that impact on it.  But I'm not a scientist.  I'm a lawyer. 

But.. here's the thing.  In all the climate change hubbub, I want to consider the issue from a position of understanding instead of ignorance.  I would prefer not to be one of those who argued so strongly against Galileo's assertions that, indeed, the sun did not revolve around the earth.

The difficulty is, however, a nagging sense that what passes for "science" is in reality disguised social idealism.

Why do I say that?

Well.

Witness the Sokol Hoax.

Alan Sokol was a professor of physics at New York University.

After reading "Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science", Sokol was sufficiently intrigued and concerned with the notion that ideological concerns interfering with scientific study and criticism, that he sought to test that theory by submitting an article without any true basis to a Sociological text, "Social Text", to see if he would be permitted to "publish an article liberally salted with nonsense if it (a) sounded good and (b) flattered the editors' ideological preconceptions."

To his dismay, but not his surprise, the article was indeed published as a serious work.

More recently, and more specific to the issue of climate change - during the recent climate conference in Cancun - UN delegates by the boatload signed on to a petition to ban "di hydrous monoxide" - watch this video:



Di hydrous Monoxide?  H20.  Water.

The UN Delegates were falling all over themselves to ban.. water.

Does this mean there is no such thing as anthropomorphic climate change?

No.

Near as I can understand, during the last massive increase in climate temperatures, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum,  carbon dioxide appears to have been the culprit..  though it is fair to say that when you see stuff from people like Al Gore, David Suzuki, and the IPCC.. you may want to take it with a grain of salt.

There may be more than "science" be served up.

Just sayin'