This scientist describes past dramatic climate changes and how people reacted out of fear and superstition. Short-term weather extremes produce such an emotional response from people it seems history is repeating itself. Listen and see if you see any similarities between then and now.
Peter
From:http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2007/03/post-normal-science-as-proof-for-global.html
Here's a YouTube clip from a Harvard astrophysicist on the subject of "precautionary principle" as applied to weather engineering and the punishment its critics faced half a millennium ago. She has another word from the "post-normal" method of thinking: superstition.
posted by wretchard at 3/15/2007 12:00:00 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfRqkweo5jo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffallbackbelmont%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2007%2F03%2Fpost%2Dnormal%2Dscience%2Das%2Dproof%2Dfor%2Dglobal%2Ehtml
3 comments:
I'd like to think we've come a long way since the 1600's. But maybe it's just part of human nature to fear what we don't know or can't explain. Still, I think we've come far enough to understand that unusual does not necessarily mean unnatural and that we shouldn't allow our unsubstantiated fears to dictate our social policies.
Well we're not literally burning people at the stake, if that's what you call progress. Some recent poll showed that 83% of Americans are afraid of global warming. That indicates to me that people still cannot differentiate between the unusual and the unnatural. And yes people are allowing their fears and ignorance dictate social policies.
Or maybe all those 83% are Democrats? Could that be?
I doubt the 83% are all Democrats. If that were true, Gore would be sitting in the White House right now and not out inciting fear on his own personal witch hunt.
I have a feeling the future will prove that buying carbon offsets is about as useful as throwing salt over your shoulder.
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