There isn’t a nation on the planet where the evidence of the impacts of climate change isn’t mounting. Frankly, those who look for any excuse to continue challenging the science have a fundamental responsibility which they have never fulfilled: Prove us wrong or stand down. Prove that the pollution we put in the atmosphere is not having the harmful effect we know it is. Tell us where the gases go and what they do. Pony up one single, cogent, legitimate, scholarly analysis. Prove that the ocean isn’t actually rising; prove that the ice caps aren’t melting, that deserts aren’t expanding. And prove that human beings have nothing to do with any of it. And by the way — good luck!
Ladies and Gentlemen: Here in Copenhagen, now and forever, amateur hour is over. It’s time for science fact to trump science fiction. –John Kerry
The burden of proof always lies with those who wish to overturn mainstream science.
That might be the best statement I’ve ever heard from Kerry. He’s right, no more science fiction from the Denialists with their inconsistent, contradictory, scattershot nonsense. They’ve had every conceivable opportunity to put up, now the time has come for them to damned well shut up. If they insist on acting like buttholes, they don’t deserve any civility from me or anyone else.
Of course they don’t deserve civility. They haven’t for ages, and they don’t show civility to respected scientists, institutions, or people like us who are mealy trying to communicate the science ac clearly as we are able.
But that isn’t the issue, at least not for me. What we need is to conduct ourselves in a manner that does not put off people who can be made to accept the science. If that means being civil to those who do not deserve it, so be it.