1. The Scientists Speak

Comment #143501 by FusionBeliever on March 14, 2008 at 6:56 am

It might be that the Earth is getting warmer; the cause is rising levels of carbon dioxide; the rise is all due to humans; the drop in global average temperatures 1940-1970 was due to aerosols; if the rise continues there will be serious consequences; the ill effects will overwhelm the benefits; climate model forecasts are accurate; there will be a tipping point, after which the situation cannot be recovered; Government action is needed, will work and will not have catastrophic unintended consequences.

But it's a lot not to be sceptical about. Bertrand Russell, quoted in The God Delusion (p52) says: "Many orthodox people speak as though it is the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a mistake." For dogma, read the need for political action.

Not that I want to add to the heat. The debate here is much more civilized than elsewhere.

How about this: the world should aggressively chase the dream of abundant clean energy through nuclear fusion. At the very least, all spending on manned space flight should be diverted to nuclear fusion research, not least because space exploration on a grand scale will be necessary for humanity's survival in the future, and that will require massive amounts of energy.