Polarized

And, I don’t mean light. The global public, or at least the fraction of people who have heard of global warming, are rabidly polarized concerning 1) whether or not it’s happening and 2) if humans are actually involved. I can’t even think about discussing a scientific study relating to climate on my radio show without being bombarded with emails telling me that I need to be less biased, that I need to present both sides of the story, and that I “should be ashamed for violating your ‘scientific principles’ by touting the latest toy of the oligarchy, designed to make you just that less in-control of your own fate.”

Really.

As I have stated previously in other locations, I would be thrilled if the science stories that passed my desk suggested anything other than the warming trend that we are currently experiencing, and I would report it. The fact is, that research is not prevalent. Indeed, not reporting news that doesn’t exist doesn’t make me biased. I would be more biased in the reporting of any story if I were (in the name of “fair and balanced reporting”) to search out the one person who doesn’t agree. Sure, it might be nice to know that someone doesn’t agree and why, but giving their views equal time or weight to the majority is dishonest.

Well, now the “other side” in the global warming arena has their chance at receiving equal weight. A documentarian named Martin Durkin has created a documentary called “The Great Global Warming Swindle” to compete with Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” I have not watched it myself, so cannot comment on its content or accuracy, but it has started quite the firestorm. Just reading the comments left in response to articles reviewing the program will let you know just how emotional an issue this has become on both sides.

Both sides cry foul and use emotional arguements to say that the other side is illogical and that science is being ignored in favor of politics and money. This emotional divisiveness is unfortunate because it will make any discussion of how to implement policy based on the science even more difficult than it already is. I promise to try to use my various avenues of communication to try to clear the political debris from the climate science so that people can better understand their world. Maybe it will help.

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