Climate Change: Now, More Politics than Science

As noted in my previous post, a discussion on climate change was a part of the agenda at the American Meteorological Society’s Broadcast Meteorology Conference. Television meteorologists had the opportunity to pose questions and concerns about global climate change to a gathered panel of climate experts.
One of the reasons this discussion was scheduled relates to a certain level of disagreement that exists within the broadcast weather community, with varying levels of belief as to whether or not we are truly facing man-made global warming.
Now many of you will see this and say “Well, if there’s that much difference of opinion among scientists, it’s obvious there’s not a whole lot to this climate change talk.” Not so fast. Two issues are at work here which “cloud” that opinion.
First, while there are many meteorologists…most of whom have had some education in climate or have done some reading up on climate science…there are few of us who actually can call ourselves “climate scientists”. Much as John Kasay and Julius Peppers are both Carolina Panthers…but you certainly wouldn’t ask kicker Kasay about defensive line issues that Peppers deals with…we’re meteorologists, but asking some of us about all of the intricacies of climate change isn’t a great idea…and I wouldn’t ask too many climate scientists about issues involving broadcasters. Most of us need to educate ourselves a little more on the current state of climate science, and not just through stories and reports we all hear regularly through various news organizations.
Secondly, and a little shocking but not totally surprising, results presented from a survey of broadcast meteorologists indicate that how your favorite television weatherperson feels about climate change is, in general, a result of their political orientation. While most of our group believes that some climate change is taking place, the split occurs on why: those who believe it’s man-made are generally left of center with their thinking; those who believe it’s just a “cycle” are generally right of center. This would seem to indicate that most of us are just like you…what we know is comprised of what we are gathering from various reports and sources, framed in the context of our own beliefs.
Therein lies the problem. Climate change has moved from a scientific debate into a political debate, and this has the tendency to obscure and color the facts, no matter which side you’re on.
Here’s the bottom line as presented to us at the conference. The number of climate scientists…those who actually study this stuff for a living…that believe in man-made climate change is growing day-by-day.
There are still some respected scientists who are more cautious with their assessment. All good science should have some debate and “devil’s advocate” points of view…that forces everyone to work harder to prove their findings.
It becomes our job to stay up with the science, and go through it with no preconceived notions. If you have a strong opinion on climate change, or simply want to learn more about the issue, I suggest that you do the same. Unfortunately, that can be easier said than done…which I will discuss next time.